---
title: UPDATE | Datasquirel docs
description: Modify existing rows using UPDATE statements in Datasquirel
page_title: UPDATE
page_description: Modify existing rows in your tables using SQL UPDATE statements.
---

## Overview

`UPDATE` modifies existing rows in a table. Always include a `WHERE` clause to target specific rows — an UPDATE without a WHERE clause updates every row in the table.

## Basic Syntax

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

## Examples

### Update a Single Row by ID

```sql
UPDATE users SET name = 'Alice Smith', email = 'alice.smith@example.com' WHERE id = 42;
```

### Update Multiple Rows

```sql
UPDATE posts SET is_published = 1 WHERE category = 'announcements';
```

### Update with a Calculated Value

```sql
UPDATE products SET price = price * 1.10 WHERE category = 'electronics';
```

### Update with LIMIT

MariaDB supports `LIMIT` on UPDATE to cap how many rows can be modified in one statement:

```sql
UPDATE notifications SET is_read = 1 WHERE user_id = 5 ORDER BY created_at ASC LIMIT 50;
```

## Safety Note

An `UPDATE` without a `WHERE` clause will update **every row** in the table. Always double-check your `WHERE` clause before running an update, especially in production.

```sql
-- This updates ALL rows in the table:
UPDATE users SET is_active = 0;

-- This updates only the intended row:
UPDATE users SET is_active = 0 WHERE id = 42;
```

## Using UPDATE via the API

The [CRUD PUT endpoint](/docs/api-reference/crud/put) handles updates with a target ID:

```javascript
const result = await datasquirel.crud.update({
    dbName: "my_database",
    tableName: "users",
    targetID: 42,
    body: {
        name: "Alice Smith",
        email: "alice.smith@example.com",
    },
    apiKey: process.env.DATASQUIREL_API_KEY,
});
```

Only the fields you include in `body` are changed — other columns retain their current values.