7/15/25, 10:29 AM SQL UPDATE Statement
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SQL UPDATE Statement
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The SQL UPDATE Statement
The UPDATE statement is used to modify the existing records in a table.
UPDATE Syntax
UPDATE table_name
SET column1 = value1, column2 = value2, ...
WHERE condition;
Note: Be careful when updating records in a table! Notice the WHERE clause in the
UPDATE statement. The WHERE clause specifies which record(s) that should be updated.
If you omit the WHERE clause, all records in the table will be updated!
Demo Database
Below is a selection from the Customers table used in the examples:
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CustomerID
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CustomerName ContactName
Address City
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PostalCo
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1 Alfreds Maria Anders Obere Str. 57 Berlin 12209
Futterkiste
2 Ana Trujillo Ana Trujillo Avda. de la México 05021
Emparedados y Constitución D.F.
helados 2222
3 Antonio Moreno Antonio Mataderos México 05023
Taquería Moreno 2312 D.F.
4 Around the Horn Thomas Hardy 120 Hanover London WA1 1DP
Sq.
5 Berglunds Christina Berguvsvägen Luleå S-958 22
snabbköp Berglund 8
UPDATE Table
The following SQL statement updates the first customer (CustomerID = 1) with a new
contact person and a new city.
Example Get your own SQL Server
UPDATE Customers
SET ContactName = 'Alfred Schmidt', City= 'Frankfurt'
WHERE CustomerID = 1;
The selection from the "Customers" table will now look like this:
CustomerID CustomerName ContactName Address City PostalC
1 Alfreds Alfred Schmidt Obere Str. 57 Frankfurt 12209
Futterkiste
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2 Tutorials AnaExercises
Trujillo
Emparedados y
Ana Trujillo
Services
Avda.
de la
Constitución
México
D.F.
05021
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3 Antonio Moreno Antonio Mataderos México 05023
Taquería Moreno 2312 D.F.
4 Around the Horn Thomas Hardy 120 Hanover London WA1 1D
Sq.
5 Berglunds Christina Berguvsvägen Luleå S-958 2
snabbköp Berglund 8
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UPDATE Multiple Records
It is the WHERE clause that determines how many records will be updated.
The following SQL statement will update the ContactName to "Juan" for all records
where country is "Mexico":
Example
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UPDATE Customers
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SET ContactName='Juan'
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WHERE Country='Mexico';
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The selection from the "Customers" table will now look like this:
CustomerID CustomerName ContactName Address City PostalC
1 Alfreds Alfred Schmidt Obere Str. 57 Frankfurt 12209
Futterkiste
2 Ana Trujillo Juan Avda. de la México 05021
Emparedados y Constitución D.F.
helados 2222
3 Antonio Moreno Juan Mataderos México 05023
Taquería 2312 D.F.
4 Around the Horn Thomas Hardy 120 Hanover London WA1 1D
Sq.
5 Berglunds Christina Berguvsvägen Luleå S-958 2
snabbköp Berglund 8
Update Warning!
Be careful when updating records. If you omit the WHERE clause, ALL records will be
updated!
Example
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UPDATE Customers
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SET ContactName='Juan';
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The selection from the "Customers" table will now look like this:
CustomerID CustomerName ContactName Address City PostalC
1 Alfreds Juan Obere Str. 57 Frankfurt 12209
Futterkiste
2 Ana Trujillo Juan Avda. de la México 05021
Emparedados y Constitución D.F.
helados 2222
3 Antonio Moreno Juan Mataderos México 05023
Taquería 2312 D.F.
4 Around the Horn Juan 120 Hanover London WA1 1D
Sq.
5 Berglunds Juan Berguvsvägen Luleå S-958 2
snabbköp 8
?
Exercise
What is the purpose of the SQL UPDATE statement?
To add new records to a table
To delete records from a table
To modify existing records in a table
To retrieve records from a table
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