Modify Data Through a View

Article
02/28/2023

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance Azure Synapse Analytics Analytics Platform System (PDW)

You can modify the data of an underlying base table in SQL Server by using SQL Server Management Studio or Transact-SQL.

Before You Begin

Limitations and Restrictions

See the section 'Updatable Views' in CREATE VIEW (Transact-SQL).

Permissions

Requires UPDATE, INSERT, or DELETE permissions on the target table, depending on the action being performed.

Using SQL Server Management Studio

To modify table data through a view

In Object Explorer, expand the database that contains the view and then expand Views.
Right-click the view and select Edit Top 200 Rows.
You may need to modify the SELECT statement in the SQL pane to return the rows to be modified.
In the Results pane, locate the row to be changed or deleted. To delete the row, right-click the row and select Delete. To change data in one or more columns, modify the data in the column.

Important

You cannot delete a row if the view references more than one base table. You can only update columns that belong to a single base table.
To insert a row, scroll down to the end of the rows and insert the new values.

Important

You cannot insert a row if the view references more than one base table.

Using Transact-SQL

To update table data through a view

In Object Explorer, connect to an instance of Database Engine.
On the Standard bar, click New Query.
Copy and paste the following example into the query window and click Execute. This example changes the value in the StartDate and EndDate columns for a specific employee by referencing columns in the view HumanResources.vEmployeeDepartmentHistory. This view returns values from two tables. This statement succeeds because the columns being modified are from only one of the base tables.
```
USE AdventureWorks2022;   
GO  
UPDATE HumanResources.vEmployeeDepartmentHistory  
SET StartDate = '20110203', EndDate = GETDATE()   
WHERE LastName = N'Smith' AND FirstName = 'Samantha';   
GO  
```

For more information, see UPDATE (Transact-SQL).

To insert table data through a view

In Object Explorer, connect to an instance of Database Engine.
On the Standard bar, click New Query.
Copy and paste the following example into the query window and click Execute. The example inserts a new row into the base table HumanResources.Department by specifying the relevant columns from the view HumanResources.vEmployeeDepartmentHistory. The statement succeeds because only columns from a single base table are specified and the other columns in the base table have default values.
```
USE AdventureWorks2022;  
GO  
INSERT INTO HumanResources.vEmployeeDepartmentHistory (Department, GroupName)   
VALUES ('MyDepartment', 'MyGroup');   
GO  
```

For more information, see INSERT (Transact-SQL).