Question

In MySQL I know its possible to select from two tables that have been joined, but is it possible to update the same two tables using a join? Or will I have to update each table individually?

Answer 1

Yes, e.g.

UPDATE table1 t1 
JOIN table2 t2
    ON t2.id = t1.id -- Your keys.
SET t1.column = '...', t2.column = '...' -- Your Updates
WHERE ... -- Your conditional