Data modification statements

The statements you use to add, change, or delete data are called data modification statements, also referred to as the data modification language (DML) part of SQL. The three main DML statements are:

  • INSERT statement   adds new rows to a table

  • UPDATE statement   changes existing rows in a table

  • DELETE statement   removes specific rows from a table

Any single INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE statement changes the data in only one table or view.

In addition to the statements above, the LOAD TABLE and TRUNCATE TABLE statements are especially useful for bulk loading and deleting of data.

See also

Permissions for data modification
Transactions and data modification
Making changes permanent
Canceling changes
Transactions and data recovery
Referential integrity