A keyword followed by a host language variable. A transaction handle identifies each instance of a transaction. If you do not declare the transaction handle explicitly, Oracle Rdb attaches an internal identifier to the transaction. If you start a transaction with a transaction handle, you must include that handle in the START_SEGMENTED_STRING statement, otherwise you get the following error: RDB-E-EXCESS_TRANS, exceeded limit of !UL transactions !%S per database attachment In Callable RDO, use !VAL as a marker for host language variables. You can put parentheses around the host language variable name. Normally, you do not need to use this argument. The ability to declare a transaction handle is provided for compatibility with other database products and future releases of Oracle Rdb.