The MySQL UPDATE statement is used to modify the existing records in a table. It allows you to change the values of one or more columns in a set of rows based on a specified condition. Here’s the basic syntax for the UPDATE statement:

Syntax

UPDATE table_name
SET column1 = value1, column2 = value2, ...
WHERE condition;

Let’s break down the components:

table_name: The name of the table you want to update.

SET: Specifies the columns to be updated and the new values they should be set to.

column1 = value1, column2 = value2, …: Specifies the columns you want to update and the new values you want to set. You can update multiple columns in a single UPDATE statement.

WHERE: Optional clause that specifies the condition that must be met for the rows to be updated. If you omit the WHERE clause, all rows in the table will be updated.

condition: The condition that specifies which rows to update. If a row meets the specified condition, the values in the specified columns will be updated.

Example

Here’s an example to illustrate how the UPDATE statement works:

UPDATE employees
SET salary = 60000, department = 'IT'
WHERE employee_id = 101;

In this example:

The employees table is being updated.
The salary column is set to 60000, and the department column is set to ‘IT’.
The update is applied only to the row where employee_id is equal to 101.

It’s crucial to be cautious when using the UPDATE statement, especially with the WHERE clause, to avoid unintentional updates to a large number of rows. Always double-check your conditions before executing an UPDATE statement to ensure that you are modifying the intended records.