How to Use the Replace Command in SQL

The "Replace" command used in MySQL serves as a kind of "find and replace" function for databases; it can be used to update a name change, fix any possible spelling mistakes or change addresses. The possibilities of this command are really only limited by creativity, and like most SQL commands, the syntax is simple to learn and easy to execute.

Things You'll Need

• MySQL database

Instructions

Steps

1. Familiarize yourself with the basic syntax of the command:
   REPLACE(string, old_string, new_string);
   That's basically saying "Inside a particular string, replace all instances of old_string with new_string."

2. Combine the "Replace" command with the "Update" and "Set" commands to update the records of a table. For example:
   UPDATE movies SET director = REPLACE(director, 'Stephen Spielberg', 'Steven Spielberg');
   First, this query lets MySQL know we're going to be updating a field called "director" on a table called "movies." Then, it tells it to replace all instances of "Stephen Spielberg" with the correct spelling, "Steven Spielberg," in the "director" column.

3. Understand that you don't have to use the full contents of the field. In the above example, you could also write:
   UPDATE movies SET director = REPLACE(director, 'Stephen', 'Steven');
   However, it's best to be as specific as possible so you don't overwrite any information you didn't intend to. In this example, even directors in your database who are actually named "Stephen" will be switched to "Steven."

Tips & Warnings

• The "Replace" command is case-sensitive.

References

• MySQL
• My Digital Life