EQUEL statements use Ada variables to transfer data from a database or a form into the program and conversely. You must declare Ada variables to EQUEL before using them in EQUEL statements. Ada variables are declared to EQUEL by preceding the declaration with the ## mark. The declaration must be in a syntactically correct position for the Ada language.

In general, each declared object can be referred to in the scope of the enclosing compilation unit. An object name cannot be redeclared in the same compilation unit scope. For details on the scope of types and variables, see Compilation Units and the Scope of Variables.