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Data & Analytics · Foundational

UPDATE Statement

The DML statement that modifies existing column values in rows that match a condition.

Definition

UPDATE sets one or more columns, optionally using values from joined tables. Without a WHERE clause it modifies every row, which is a classic production mistake that a transaction can roll back.

Example

UPDATE Employees SET Salary = Salary * 1.03 WHERE DeptID = 20;

Exam tip

An UPDATE or DELETE without WHERE affects every row; test with a SELECT using the same WHERE first.

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