“INSERT IGNORE” vs “INSERT … ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE”

Question

While executing an INSERT statement with many rows, I want to skip duplicate entries that would otherwise cause failure. After some research, my options appear

Answer 1

If you want to insert in the table and on the conflict of the primary key or unique index it will update the conflicting row instead of inserting that row.

Syntax:

insert into table1 set column1 = a, column2 = b on duplicate update column2 = c;

Now here, this insert statement may look different what you have seen earlier. This insert statement trying to insert a row in table1 with the value of a and b into column column1 and column2 respectively.

Let's understand this statement in depth:

For example: here column1 is defined as the primary key in table1.

Now if in table1 there is no row having the value “a” in column1. So this statement will insert a row in the table1.

Now if in table1 there is a row having the value “a” in column2. So this statement will update the row’s column2 value with “c” where the column1 value is “a”.

So if you want to insert a new row otherwise update that row on the conflict of the primary key or unique index.
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