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738

answers:

1

I'm doing an insert query where most of many columns would need to be updated to the new values if a unique key already existed. It goes something like this:

INSERT INTO lee(exp_id, created_by, 
                location, animal, 
                starttime, endtime, entct, 
                inact, inadur, inadist, 
                smlct, smldur, smldist, 
                larct, lardur, lardist, 
                emptyct, emptydur)
SELECT id, uid, t.location, t.animal, t.starttime, t.endtime, t.entct, 
       t.inact, t.inadur, t.inadist, 
       t.smlct, t.smldur, t.smldist, 
       t.larct, t.lardur, t.lardist, 
       t.emptyct, t.emptydur 
FROM tmp t WHERE uid=x
ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE ...; 
//update all fields to values from SELECT, 
//       except for exp_id, created_by, location, animal, 
//       starttime, endtime

I'm not sure what the syntax for the UPDATE clause should be. How do I refer to the current row from the SELECT clause?

+6  A: 

MySQL will assume the part before the equals references the columns named in the INSERT INTO clause, and the second part references the SELECT columns.

INSERT INTO lee(exp_id, created_by, location, animal, starttime, endtime, entct, 
                inact, inadur, inadist, 
                smlct, smldur, smldist, 
                larct, lardur, lardist, 
                emptyct, emptydur)
SELECT id, uid, t.location, t.animal, t.starttime, t.endtime, t.entct, 
       t.inact, t.inadur, t.inadist, 
       t.smlct, t.smldur, t.smldist, 
       t.larct, t.lardur, t.lardist, 
       t.emptyct, t.emptydur 
FROM tmp t WHERE uid=x
ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE entct=t.entct, inact=t.inact, ...
Marcus Adams
@dnagirl: **TIP:** don't try to update any of the PK columns, only those that need updating go into the list
lexu
Your suggested syntax works and the `t.` is required. I also found an article on xaprb (http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2006/02/21/flexible-insert-and-update-in-mysql/) that uses this syntax: `on duplicate key update b = values(b), c = values(c)`. This also works.
dnagirl
@dnagirl, you just made my day. Thanks.
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