Python MySQL - Update Query

Last Updated : 30 Jun, 2025

The UPDATE query in SQL is used to modify existing records in a table. It allows you to update specific columns' values in one or more rows of a table. It's important to note that the UPDATE query affects only the data, not the structure of the table.

Syntax

UPDATE tablename
SET column1 = "new_value", column2 = "new_value"
WHERE condition;

tablename: The name of the table where the data will be updated.
SET: Specifies the columns and their new values.
WHERE: Determines which rows will be updated. If omitted, all rows in the table will be updated.

DATABASE IN USE:

Example 1: Update the Age of a Student

In this example, we'll update the age of a student named "Rishi Kumar" in the STUDENT table. We will change his age to 23:

Python

import mysql.connector

# Connecting to the Database
mydb = mysql.connector.connect(
  host="localhost",
  database="College",
  user="root",  # Replace with your MySQL username
  password="your_password"  # Replace with your MySQL password
)

# Create a cursor object
cs = mydb.cursor()

# SQL query to update the age of a student
statement = "UPDATE STUDENT SET AGE = 23 WHERE Name = 'Rishi Kumar'"

# Execute the update statement
cs.execute(statement)

# Commit the changes to the database
mydb.commit()

# Disconnecting from the database
mydb.close()

Output:

Explanation:

UPDATE query modifies the AGE column for the student with the name "Rishi Kumar".
mydb.commit() ensures that the changes are saved to the database.
connection is closed with mydb.close() to release resources.

Example 2: Correcting the Spelling of a Student's Name

In this example, we will correct the spelling of the student's name from "SK Anirban" to "S.K. Anirban" in the STUDENT table:

Python

import mysql.connector

# Connecting to the Database
mydb = mysql.connector.connect(
  host="localhost",
  database="College",
  user="root",  
  password="your_password"  # Replace with your MySQL password
)

# Create a cursor object
cs = mydb.cursor()

# SQL query to update the name of the student
statement = "UPDATE STUDENT SET Name = 'S.K. Anirban' WHERE Name = 'SK Anirban'"

# Execute the update statement
cs.execute(statement)

# Commit the changes to the database
mydb.commit()

# Disconnecting from the database
mydb.close()