Browse mode lets you search through a table and update its values one row at a time. It is used in front-end applications that use DB-Library and a host programming language. Browse mode is useful because it provides compatibility with Open Server™ applications and older Open Client™ libraries. However, its use in more recent Client-Library™ applications (version 10.0.x and later) is discouraged, because cursors provide the same functionality in a more portable and flexible manner. Additionally, browse mode is Sybase-specific, and is not suited to heterogeneous environments.
Normally, you should use cursors to update data when you want to change table values row by row. Client-Library applications can use Client-Library cursors to implement some browse-mode features, such as updating a table while fetching rows from it. However, cursors may cause locking contention in the tables being selected.
For more information on browse mode, see the dbqual function in the Open Client/Server documentation.
