---
title: "SPI_execute_plan"
id: spi-spi-execute-plan
pg_version: "20devel"
---

<a id="spi-spi-execute-plan"></a>

# SPI_execute_plan — execute a statement prepared by `SPI_prepare`

## Synopsis

```
int SPI_execute_plan(SPIPlanPtr plan, const Datum * values, const char * nulls,
                     bool read_only, long count)
```

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## Description

`SPI_execute_plan` executes a statement prepared by `SPI_prepare` or one of its siblings. `read_only` and `count` have the same interpretation as in `SPI_execute`. 

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## Arguments

**`SPIPlanPtr plan`**

 prepared statement (returned by `SPI_prepare`) **`Datum * values`**

 An array of actual parameter values. Must have same length as the statement's number of arguments. **`const char * nulls`**

 An array describing which parameters are null. Must have same length as the statement's number of arguments.  If `nulls` is `NULL` then `SPI_execute_plan` assumes that no parameters are null. Otherwise, each entry of the `nulls` array should be `' '` if the corresponding parameter value is non-null, or `'n'` if the corresponding parameter value is null. (In the latter case, the actual value in the corresponding `values` entry doesn't matter.) Note that `nulls` is not a text string, just an array: it does not need a `'\0'` terminator. **`bool read_only`**

`true` for read-only execution**`long count`**

 maximum number of rows to return, or `0` for no limit <a id="id-1.8.12.8.15.7"></a>

## Return Value

The return value is the same as for `SPI_execute`, with the following additional possible error (negative) results: **`SPI_ERROR_ARGUMENT`**

 if `plan` is `NULL` or invalid, or `count` is less than 0 **`SPI_ERROR_PARAM`**

 if `values` is `NULL` and `plan` was prepared with some parameters  

`SPI_processed` and `SPI_tuptable` are set as in `SPI_execute` if successful.