Using the UPDATE Command to Modify Records

UPDATE is the SQL command used to modify the contents of one or more columns in an existing record. The most basic UPDATE syntax looks like this:

UPDATE table_name
SET column1='new value',
column2='new value2'
[WHERE some_condition_is_true]

The guidelines for updating a record are similar to those used when inserting a record: The data you're entering must be appropriate to the data type of the field, and you must enclose your strings in single or double quotes, escaping where necessary.

For example, assume you have a table called fruit containing an ID, a fruit name, and the status of the fruit (ripe or rotten):

						mysql> SELECT * FROM fruit; +----+------------+--------+ | id | fruit_name | status | ...

Get Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL® and Apache All in One now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.