What is the difference between a DELETE and an UPDATE query in MySQL when removing entries from a database using PHP?

When removing entries from a database using PHP with MySQL, the main difference between a DELETE and an UPDATE query is that DELETE removes the entire row from the database, while UPDATE modifies specific columns in the row. If you want to completely remove a record from the database, you should use a DELETE query. If you just need to update specific information in a row, then an UPDATE query would be more appropriate. 

// Using a DELETE query to remove a record from the database
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase', 'username', 'password');
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("DELETE FROM mytable WHERE id = :id");
$stmt->bindParam(':id', $id);
$stmt->execute();
```

```php
// Using an UPDATE query to modify specific information in a row
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase', 'username', 'password');
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("UPDATE mytable SET column1 = :value1, column2 = :value2 WHERE id = :id");
$stmt->bindParam(':value1', $value1);
$stmt->bindParam(':value2', $value2);
$stmt->bindParam(':id', $id);
$stmt->execute();

Keywords

MySQL DELETE query UPDATE query database PHP

Related Questions