MySQL ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE for multiple rows insert in single query

Question

I have a SQL query where I want to insert multiple rows in single query. so I used something like:

$sql = "INSERT INTO beautiful (name, age)
  VALUES
  ('Helen', 24),
  ('Katrina', 21),
  ('Samia', 22),
  ('Hui Ling', 25),
  ('Yumie', 29)";

mysql_query( $sql, $conn );

The problem is when I execute this query, I want to check whether a UNIQUE key (which is not the PRIMARY KEY), e.g. 'name' above, should be checked and if such a 'name' already exists, the corresponding whole row should be updated otherwise inserted.

For instance, in the example below, if 'Katrina' is already present in the database, the whole row, irrespective of the number of fields, should be updated. Again if 'Samia' is not present, the row should be inserted.

I thought of using:

INSERT INTO beautiful (name, age)
      VALUES
      ('Helen', 24),
      ('Katrina', 21),
      ('Samia', 22),
      ('Hui Ling', 25),
      ('Yumie', 29) ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE

Here is the trap. I got stuck and confused about how to proceed. I have multiple rows to insert/update at a time. Please give me a direction. Thanks.

Answer 1

Beginning with MySQL 8.0.19 you can use an alias for that row (see reference).

INSERT INTO beautiful (name, age)
    VALUES
    ('Helen', 24),
    ('Katrina', 21),
    ('Samia', 22),
    ('Hui Ling', 25),
    ('Yumie', 29)
    AS new
ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE
    age = new.age
    ...

---

For earlier versions use the keyword VALUES (see reference, deprecated with MySQL 8.0.20).

INSERT INTO beautiful (name, age)
    VALUES
    ('Helen', 24),
    ('Katrina', 21),
    ('Samia', 22),
    ('Hui Ling', 25),
    ('Yumie', 29)
ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE
    age = VALUES(age),
     ...

Answer 2

INSERT INTO ... ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE will only work for MYSQL, not for SQL Server.

for SQL server, the way to work around this is to first declare a temp table, insert value to that temp table, and then use MERGE

Like this:

declare @Source table
(
name varchar(30),
age decimal(23,0)
)

insert into @Source VALUES
('Helen', 24),
('Katrina', 21),
('Samia', 22),
('Hui Ling', 25),
('Yumie', 29);


MERGE beautiful  AS Tg
using  @source as Sc
on tg.namet=sc.name 

when matched then update 
set tg.age=sc.age

when not matched then 
insert (name, age) VALUES
(SC.name, sc.age);