When a user-defined update cursor (created with the FOR UPDATE clause or by using concurrency mode ResultSet.CONCUR_UPDATABLE) reads data, its transaction obtains an update lock on the data.

If the user-defined update cursor updates the data, the update lock is converted to an exclusive lock. If the cursor does not update the row, when the transaction steps through to the next row, transactions using the TRANSACTION_READ_COMMITTED isolation level release the lock. (For update locks, the TRANSACTION_READ_UNCOMMITTED isolation level acts the same way as TRANSACTION_READ_COMMITTED.)

Update locks help minimize deadlocks.