What is the Difference Between Insert and Update and Alter?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between INSERT and UPDATE in SQL lies in their purpose and functionality:
- INSERT: This command is used to add new data to a table. It is a Data Manipulation Language (DML) statement and is used to insert a new row to an existing table. For example:
INSERT INTO tableName (column1, column2, ...)
VALUES (value1, value2, ...)
- UPDATE: This command is used to modify existing records in a database. It is also a DML statement and can use a WHERE clause to modify a specific record. For example:
UPDATE tableName
SET column1 = value1, column2 = value2, ...
WHERE condition
On the other hand, ALTER is a Data Definition Language (DDL) statement used to modify the structure of a table in a database, such as adding, deleting, or modifying columns. For example:
ALTER TABLE tableName ADD columnName columnDefinition;
In summary, use INSERT to add new records, UPDATE to modify existing records, and ALTER to modify the structure of a table.
Comparative Table: Insert vs Update vs Alter
Here is a table comparing the differences between Insert, Update, and Alter:
| Action | Description | Syntax | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insert | Insert a new row in an existing table | INSERT INTO tableName (column1, column2, …) VALUES (value1, value2, …) | Adding new records to a table |
| Update | Modify existing records in a database | UPDATE tableName SET column1 = value1, column2 = value2, … WHERE condition | Changing existing records in a table |
| Alter | Modify, delete, or add a column to an existing table in a database | ALTER TABLE tableName ADD/DROP/RENAME/MODIFY columnName columnDefinition | Modifying the structure or schema of a table |
Insert is a Data Manipulation Language (DML) statement used to insert a new row into an existing table. Update is also a DML statement, but it is used to modify existing records in a database. The Alter command is a Data Definition Language (DDL) statement used to modify the structure of a table, such as adding, deleting, or modifying columns.
- Update vs Alter
- Update vs Upgrade
- DDL vs DML
- Modify vs Change
- Delete vs Truncate
- Drop vs Truncate
- Substitution Insertion vs Deletion Mutations
- Delete vs Drop
- Origin vs Insertion
- Insertion Sort vs Selection Sort
- Deferred Update vs Immediate Update
- Change vs Transformation
- Insertion vs Replacement Vectors
- Modification vs Revision
- SQL vs MySQL
- Primary key vs Unique key
- Bubble Sort vs Insertion Sort
- PL-SQL vs T-SQL
- Schema vs Table