w3resource

SQL update using subqueries

In this page, we are discussing the usage of a subquery to update the values of columns with the UPDATE statement.

Example:

Sample table : customer
+-----------+-------------+-------------+--------------+--------------+-------+-------------+-------------+-------------+---------------+--------------+------------+  
|CUST_CODE  | CUST_NAME   | CUST_CITY   | WORKING_AREA | CUST_COUNTRY | GRADE | OPENING_AMT | RECEIVE_AMT | PAYMENT_AMT |OUTSTANDING_AMT| PHONE_NO     | AGENT_CODE |
+-----------+-------------+-------------+--------------+--------------+-------+-------------+-------------+-------------+---------------+--------------+------------+
| C00013    | Holmes      | London      | London       | UK           |     2 |     6000.00 |     5000.00 |     7000.00 |       4000.00 | BBBBBBB      | A003       |
| C00001    | Micheal     | New York    | New York     | USA          |     2 |     3000.00 |     5000.00 |     2000.00 |       6000.00 | CCCCCCC      | A008       |
| C00020    | Albert      | New York    | New York     | USA          |     3 |     5000.00 |     7000.00 |     6000.00 |       6000.00 | BBBBSBB      | A008       |
| C00025    | Ravindran   | Bangalore   | Bangalore    | India        |     2 |     5000.00 |     7000.00 |     4000.00 |       8000.00 | AVAVAVA      | A011       |
| C00024    | Cook        | London      | London       | UK           |     2 |     4000.00 |     9000.00 |     7000.00 |       6000.00 | FSDDSDF      | A006       |
| C00015    | Stuart      | London      | London       | UK           |     1 |     6000.00 |     8000.00 |     3000.00 |      11000.00 | GFSGERS      | A003       |
| C00002    | Bolt        | New York    | New York     | USA          |     3 |     5000.00 |     7000.00 |     9000.00 |       3000.00 | DDNRDRH      | A008       |
| C00018    | Fleming     | Brisban     | Brisban      | Australia    |     2 |     7000.00 |     7000.00 |     9000.00 |       5000.00 | NHBGVFC      | A005       |
| C00021    | Jacks       | Brisban     | Brisban      | Australia    |     1 |     7000.00 |     7000.00 |     7000.00 |       7000.00 | WERTGDF      | A005       |
| C00019    | Yearannaidu | Chennai     | Chennai      | India        |     1 |     8000.00 |     7000.00 |     7000.00 |       8000.00 | ZZZZBFV      | A010       |
| C00005    | Sasikant    | Mumbai      | Mumbai       | India        |     1 |     7000.00 |    11000.00 |     7000.00 |      11000.00 | 147-25896312 | A002       |
| C00007    | Ramanathan  | Chennai     | Chennai      | India        |     1 |     7000.00 |    11000.00 |     9000.00 |       9000.00 | GHRDWSD      | A010       |
| C00022    | Avinash     | Mumbai      | Mumbai       | India        |     2 |     7000.00 |    11000.00 |     9000.00 |       9000.00 | 113-12345678 | A002       |
| C00004    | Winston     | Brisban     | Brisban      | Australia    |     1 |     5000.00 |     8000.00 |     7000.00 |       6000.00 | AAAAAAA      | A005       |
| C00023    | Karl        | London      | London       | UK           |     0 |     4000.00 |     6000.00 |     7000.00 |       3000.00 | AAAABAA      | A006       |
| C00006    | Shilton     | Torento     | Torento      | Canada       |     1 |    10000.00 |     7000.00 |     6000.00 |      11000.00 | DDDDDDD      | A004       |
| C00010    | Charles     | Hampshair   | Hampshair    | UK           |     3 |     6000.00 |     4000.00 |     5000.00 |       5000.00 | MMMMMMM      | A009       |
| C00017    | Srinivas    | Bangalore   | Bangalore    | India        |     2 |     8000.00 |     4000.00 |     3000.00 |       9000.00 | AAAAAAB      | A007       |
| C00012    | Steven      | San Jose    | San Jose     | USA          |     1 |     5000.00 |     7000.00 |     9000.00 |       3000.00 | KRFYGJK      | A012       |
| C00008    | Karolina    | Torento     | Torento      | Canada       |     1 |     7000.00 |     7000.00 |     9000.00 |       5000.00 | HJKORED      | A004       |
| C00003    | Martin      | Torento     | Torento      | Canada       |     2 |     8000.00 |     7000.00 |     7000.00 |       8000.00 | MJYURFD      | A004       |
| C00009    | Ramesh      | Mumbai      | Mumbai       | India        |     3 |     8000.00 |     7000.00 |     3000.00 |      12000.00 | Phone No     | A002       |
| C00014    | Rangarappa  | Bangalore   | Bangalore    | India        |     2 |     8000.00 |    11000.00 |     7000.00 |      12000.00 | AAAATGF      | A001       |
| C00016    | Venkatpati  | Bangalore   | Bangalore    | India        |     2 |     8000.00 |    11000.00 |     7000.00 |      12000.00 | JRTVFDD      | A007       |
| C00011    | Sundariya   | Chennai     | Chennai      | India        |     3 |     7000.00 |    11000.00 |     7000.00 |      11000.00 | PPHGRTS      | A010       |
+-----------+-------------+-------------+--------------+--------------+-------+-------------+-------------+-------------+---------------+--------------+------------+
Sample table: agents
+------------+----------------------+--------------------+------------+-----------------+---------+
| AGENT_CODE | AGENT_NAME           | WORKING_AREA       | COMMISSION | PHONE_NO        | COUNTRY |
+------------+----------------------+--------------------+------------+-----------------+---------+
| A007       | Ramasundar           | Bangalore          |       0.15 | 077-25814763    |         |
| A003       | Alex                 | London             |       0.13 | 075-12458969    |         |
| A008       | Alford               | New York           |       0.12 | 044-25874365    |         |
| A011       | Ravi Kumar           | Bangalore          |       0.15 | 077-45625874    |         |
| A010       | Santakumar           | Chennai            |       0.14 | 007-22388644    |         |
| A012       | Lucida               | San Jose           |       0.12 | 044-52981425    |         |
| A005       | Anderson             | Brisban            |       0.13 | 045-21447739    |         |
| A001       | Subbarao             | Bangalore          |       0.14 | 077-12346674    |         |
| A002       | Mukesh               | Mumbai             |       0.11 | 029-12358964    |         |
| A006       | McDen                | London             |       0.15 | 078-22255588    |         |
| A004       | Ivan                 | Torento            |       0.15 | 008-22544166    |         |
| A009       | Benjamin             | Hampshair          |       0.11 | 008-22536178    |         |
+------------+----------------------+--------------------+------------+-----------------+---------+

To update the 'agent1' table with following conditions -

1. modified value for 'commission' is 'commission'+.02,

2. the number 2 is greater than or equal to the number of 'cust_code' from 'customer' table which satisfies the condition bellow :

3. 'agent_code' of 'customer' table and 'agent1' table should match,

the following SQL statement can be used:

SQL Code:


-- This SQL code updates the 'commission' column in the 'agent1' table by adding 0.02 to the existing commission for agents who have fewer than or equal to 2 associated customers.
-- UPDATE statement begins
UPDATE agent1
-- Specifies the target table 'agent1' where the data will be updated
SET commission=commission+.02
-- Increases the value of the 'commission' column by 0.02 for rows that meet the specified condition
WHERE 2>=(
    -- Subquery counts the number of customers associated with each agent
    SELECT COUNT(cust_code) FROM customer
    -- Matches customers in the 'customer' table with their agents in the 'agent1' table based on 'agent_code'
    WHERE customer.agent_code=agent1.agent_code
);
-- Specifies the condition for updating rows: only rows where the count of associated customers is less than or equal to 2 will be affected

Explanation:

  • This SQL code uses the UPDATE statement to modify existing records in the 'agent1' table.

  • The SET clause increases the value of the 'commission' column by 0.02 for agents who have fewer than or equal to 2 associated customers.

  • The WHERE clause includes a subquery that counts the number of customers associated with each agent.

  • The subquery result is compared to 2 in the outer WHERE clause to filter rows, ensuring that only agents with two or fewer associated customers will have their commission increased.

Output:

Sql select re-ordering columns

SQL update using subqueries with 'IN'

In the following we are going to discuss the usage of IN within a subquery with the UPDATE statement, to update the specified columns.

Example:

Sample table: orders

   ORD_NUM ORD_AMOUNT ADVANCE_AMOUNT ORD_DATE  CUST_CODE       AGENT_CODE      ORD_DESCRIPTION
---------- ---------- -------------- --------- --------------- --------------- -----------------
    200114       3500           2000 15-AUG-08 C00002          A008
    200122       2500            400 16-SEP-08 C00003          A004
    200118        500            100 20-JUL-08 C00023          A006
    200119       4000            700 16-SEP-08 C00007          A010
    200121       1500            600 23-SEP-08 C00008          A004
    200130       2500            400 30-JUL-08 C00025          A011
    200134       4200           1800 25-SEP-08 C00004          A005
    200108       4000            600 15-FEB-08 C00008          A004
    200103       1500            700 15-MAY-08 C00021          A005
    200105       2500            500 18-JUL-08 C00025          A011
    200109       3500            800 30-JUL-08 C00011          A010
    200101       3000           1000 15-JUL-08 C00001          A008
    200111       1000            300 10-JUL-08 C00020          A008
    200104       1500            500 13-MAR-08 C00006          A004
    200106       2500            700 20-APR-08 C00005          A002
    200125       2000            600 10-OCT-08 C00018          A005
    200117        800            200 20-OCT-08 C00014          A001
    200123        500            100 16-SEP-08 C00022          A002
    200120        500            100 20-JUL-08 C00009          A002
    200116        500            100 13-JUL-08 C00010          A009
    200124        500            100 20-JUN-08 C00017          A007
    200126        500            100 24-JUN-08 C00022          A002
    200129       2500            500 20-JUL-08 C00024          A006
    200127       2500            400 20-JUL-08 C00015          A003
    200128       3500           1500 20-JUL-08 C00009          A002
    200135       2000            800 16-SEP-08 C00007          A010
    200131        900            150 26-AUG-08 C00012          A012
    200133       1200            400 29-JUN-08 C00009          A002
    200100       1000            600 08-JAN-08 C00015          A003
    200110       3000            500 15-APR-08 C00019          A010
    200107       4500            900 30-AUG-08 C00007          A010
    200112       2000            400 30-MAY-08 C00016          A007
    200113       4000            600 10-JUN-08 C00022          A002
    200102       2000            300 25-MAY-08 C00012          A012
Sample table: agents1
+------------+----------------------+--------------------+------------+-----------------+---------+
| AGENT_CODE | AGENT_NAME           | WORKING_AREA       | COMMISSION | PHONE_NO        | COUNTRY |
+------------+----------------------+--------------------+------------+-----------------+---------+
| A007       | Ramasundar           | Bangalore          |       0.15 | 077-25814763    |         |
| A003       | Alex                 | London             |       0.13 | 075-12458969    |         |
| A008       | Alford               | New York           |       0.12 | 044-25874365    |         |
| A011       | Ravi Kumar           | Bangalore          |       0.15 | 077-45625874    |         |
| A010       | Santakumar           | Chennai            |       0.14 | 007-22388644    |         |
| A012       | Lucida               | San Jose           |       0.12 | 044-52981425    |         |
| A005       | Anderson             | Brisban            |       0.13 | 045-21447739    |         |
| A001       | Subbarao             | Bangalore          |       0.14 | 077-12346674    |         |
| A002       | Mukesh               | Mumbai             |       0.11 | 029-12358964    |         |
| A006       | McDen                | London             |       0.15 | 078-22255588    |         |
| A004       | Ivan                 | Torento            |       0.15 | 008-22544166    |         |
| A009       | Benjamin             | Hampshair          |       0.11 | 008-22536178    |         |
+------------+----------------------+--------------------+------------+-----------------+---------+

To update the 'agent1' table with following conditions -

1. modified value for 'commission' is 'commission'-.02,

2. 'agent_code' not within the selected 'agent_code' of 'orders' table named as alias 'a' which satisfies the condition bellow :

3. 'ord_amount' of 'orders' table named as alias 'a' is equal to the 'ord_amount' of 'orders' table named as alias 'b' which satisfies the condition bellow :

4.'ord_date' of alias 'a'and'b'must be same,

the following SQL statement can be used:

SQL Code:


-- This SQL code updates the 'commission' column in the 'agent1' table by subtracting 0.02 from the existing commission for agents whose order amount on a certain date does not match any other order amount on the same date.
-- UPDATE statement begins
UPDATE agent1
-- Specifies the target table 'agent1' where the data will be updated
SET commission=commission-.02
-- Decreases the value of the 'commission' column by 0.02 for rows that meet the specified condition
WHERE agent_code NOT IN(
    -- Subquery retrieves the 'agent_code' associated with orders whose 'ord_amount' matches any other order's 'ord_amount' on the same date
    SELECT agent_code FROM orders a
    -- First subquery level retrieves the 'ord_amount' for each order on a specific date
    WHERE ord_amount=(
        -- Second subquery level retrieves the 'ord_amount' for each order on the same date as the outer query
        SELECT ord_amount FROM orders b
        WHERE a.ord_date=b.ord_date
    )
);
-- Specifies the condition for updating rows: only rows where the 'agent_code' does not match any other order's 'agent_code' with the same 'ord_amount' on the same date will be affected

Explanation:

  • This SQL code uses the UPDATE statement to modify existing records in the 'agent1' table.

  • The SET clause decreases the value of the 'commission' column by 0.02 for agents whose order amount on a certain date does not match any other order amount on the same date.

  • The WHERE clause includes a subquery that checks whether an agent's 'agent_code' is not associated with any other order's 'agent_code' with the same 'ord_amount' on the same date.

  • If the condition is met, the commission is decreased by 0.02 for that agent. Otherwise, no update is performed for that agent.

SQL update using subqueries with 'IN' and min()

In the following we are going to discuss the usage of IN operator and MIN() function along with the UPDATE statement to make changes within the specified columns.

Example:

Sample table: orders

   ORD_NUM ORD_AMOUNT ADVANCE_AMOUNT ORD_DATE  CUST_CODE       AGENT_CODE      ORD_DESCRIPTION
---------- ---------- -------------- --------- --------------- --------------- -----------------
    200114       3500           2000 15-AUG-08 C00002          A008
    200122       2500            400 16-SEP-08 C00003          A004
    200118        500            100 20-JUL-08 C00023          A006
    200119       4000            700 16-SEP-08 C00007          A010
    200121       1500            600 23-SEP-08 C00008          A004
    200130       2500            400 30-JUL-08 C00025          A011
    200134       4200           1800 25-SEP-08 C00004          A005
    200108       4000            600 15-FEB-08 C00008          A004
    200103       1500            700 15-MAY-08 C00021          A005
    200105       2500            500 18-JUL-08 C00025          A011
    200109       3500            800 30-JUL-08 C00011          A010
    200101       3000           1000 15-JUL-08 C00001          A008
    200111       1000            300 10-JUL-08 C00020          A008
    200104       1500            500 13-MAR-08 C00006          A004
    200106       2500            700 20-APR-08 C00005          A002
    200125       2000            600 10-OCT-08 C00018          A005
    200117        800            200 20-OCT-08 C00014          A001
    200123        500            100 16-SEP-08 C00022          A002
    200120        500            100 20-JUL-08 C00009          A002
    200116        500            100 13-JUL-08 C00010          A009
    200124        500            100 20-JUN-08 C00017          A007
    200126        500            100 24-JUN-08 C00022          A002
    200129       2500            500 20-JUL-08 C00024          A006
    200127       2500            400 20-JUL-08 C00015          A003
    200128       3500           1500 20-JUL-08 C00009          A002
    200135       2000            800 16-SEP-08 C00007          A010
    200131        900            150 26-AUG-08 C00012          A012
    200133       1200            400 29-JUN-08 C00009          A002
    200100       1000            600 08-JAN-08 C00015          A003
    200110       3000            500 15-APR-08 C00019          A010
    200107       4500            900 30-AUG-08 C00007          A010
    200112       2000            400 30-MAY-08 C00016          A007
    200113       4000            600 10-JUN-08 C00022          A002
    200102       2000            300 25-MAY-08 C00012          A012
Sample table: agents1
+------------+----------------------+--------------------+------------+-----------------+---------+
| AGENT_CODE | AGENT_NAME           | WORKING_AREA       | COMMISSION | PHONE_NO        | COUNTRY |
+------------+----------------------+--------------------+------------+-----------------+---------+
| A007       | Ramasundar           | Bangalore          |       0.15 | 077-25814763    |         |
| A003       | Alex                 | London             |       0.13 | 075-12458969    |         |
| A008       | Alford               | New York           |       0.12 | 044-25874365    |         |
| A011       | Ravi Kumar           | Bangalore          |       0.15 | 077-45625874    |         |
| A010       | Santakumar           | Chennai            |       0.14 | 007-22388644    |         |
| A012       | Lucida               | San Jose           |       0.12 | 044-52981425    |         |
| A005       | Anderson             | Brisban            |       0.13 | 045-21447739    |         |
| A001       | Subbarao             | Bangalore          |       0.14 | 077-12346674    |         |
| A002       | Mukesh               | Mumbai             |       0.11 | 029-12358964    |         |
| A006       | McDen                | London             |       0.15 | 078-22255588    |         |
| A004       | Ivan                 | Torento            |       0.15 | 008-22544166    |         |
| A009       | Benjamin             | Hampshair          |       0.11 | 008-22536178    |         |
+------------+----------------------+--------------------+------------+-----------------+---------+

To update the 'agent1' table with following conditions -

1. modified value for 'commission' is 'commission'-.02,

2. 'agent_code' not within the selected 'agent_code' of 'orders' table named as alias 'a' which satisfies the condition bellow :

3. 'ord_amount' of 'orders' table named as alias 'a' is equal to the minimum 'ord_amount' of 'orders' table named as alias 'b' which satisfies the condition bellow :

4. 'ord_date' of alias 'a' and 'b' must be same,

the following SQL statement can be used:

SQL Code:


-- This SQL code updates the 'commission' column in the 'agent1' table by subtracting 0.02 from the existing commission for agents whose order amount on a certain date is the minimum order amount for that date.
-- UPDATE statement begins
UPDATE agent1
-- Specifies the target table 'agent1' where the data will be updated
SET commission=commission-.02
-- Decreases the value of the 'commission' column by 0.02 for rows that meet the specified condition
WHERE agent_code IN(
    -- Subquery retrieves the 'agent_code' associated with orders whose 'ord_amount' matches the minimum order amount on the same date
    SELECT agent_code FROM orders a
    -- First subquery level retrieves the 'ord_amount' for each order on a specific date
    WHERE ord_amount=(
        -- Second subquery level retrieves the minimum 'ord_amount' for each date
        SELECT MIN(ord_amount) FROM orders b
        WHERE a.ord_date=b.ord_date
    )
);
-- Specifies the condition for updating rows: only rows where the 'agent_code' is associated with the minimum order amount on the same date will be affected

Explanation:

  • This SQL code uses the UPDATE statement to modify existing records in the 'agent1' table.

  • The SET clause decreases the value of the 'commission' column by 0.02 for agents whose order amount on a certain date matches the minimum order amount for that date.

  • The WHERE clause includes a subquery that retrieves the 'agent_code' associated with orders whose 'ord_amount' matches the minimum order amount on the same date.

  • If the condition is met, the commission is decreased by 0.02 for those agents. Otherwise, no update is performed for those agents.

See our Model Database

Here is a new document which is a collection of questions with short and simple answers, useful for learning SQL as well as for interviews.

Check out our 1000+ SQL Exercises with solution and explanation to improve your skills.

Previous: Update columns using sum function and group by
Next: SQL Delete



Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for latest update.