How do you update only one row in SQL (SQL, MySQL workbench, development)?

 To update a single row in SQL, you can use the UPDATE statement with a WHERE clause that uniquely identifies the row to be updated. In MySQL Workbench or any SQL development environment, the general syntax is:

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

Key Points:

1. table_name: The name of the table where the row is located.
2. SET: Specifies the column(s) you want to update and their new value(s).
3. WHERE: Ensures only the specific row(s) matching the condition are updated.

Example:

Suppose you have a table employees with columns id, name, and salary. To update the salary of the employee with id = 3, you can run:

UPDATE employees
SET salary = 60000
WHERE id = 3;

Important Notes:

• Always use the WHERE clause: Without it, all rows in the table will be updated.
• Use unique identifiers: A primary key, unique column, or a specific condition ensures only one row is updated.
• Check before executing: Use a SELECT query with the same WHERE clause to verify the affected row:

  SELECT * FROM employees WHERE id = 3;
  

Avoiding Errors:

• If multiple rows are affected, refine your WHERE clause.
• Test your query in a development environment or with a BEGIN TRANSACTION statement (if supported) to ensure it works as expected.