In MySQL, in which cases should I use REPLACE and in which ones should I use UPDATE. Adding to this as a bonus, in what cases should I use a combination of DELETE and then INSERT in comparison to the 2 first mentioned.
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In MySQL, in which cases should I use REPLACE and in which ones should I use UPDATE. Adding to this as a bonus, in what cases should I use a combination of DELETE and then INSERT in comparison to the 2 first mentioned.
You use REPLACE when you are not sure if a record exists in your database or if you do not want to check if it exists. Basically what will happen is if the record exists it will be deleted and inserted, if it does not it will be inserted. It’s there mostly for convenience but is not ANSI SQL.
It’s generally better for performance to do an UPDATE vs a DELETE/INSERT. So it’s generally discouraged to use REPLACE.
Your preference should always be