What is the UPDATE statement?

The UPDATE statement is used to change existing values in a table.

You use it when a record already exists, but one or more values need to be corrected, refreshed, or changed.

Basic UPDATE syntax

A basic UPDATE statement uses SET to choose the column and new value. It usually needs a WHERE condition so SQL knows exactly which row should be changed.

UPDATE table_name
SET column_name = new_value
WHERE condition;

UPDATE Employees
SET salary = 50000
WHERE employee_id = 4;

Sample table before UPDATE

We will update Noah Harris's salary using UPDATE.

Changing a record

This query updates one row in the Employees table.

UPDATE Employees
SET salary = 50000
WHERE employee_id = 4;

Updated row

Updated Employees table

After updating the salary, Noah Harris now has a salary value of 50000.

Key takeaway