Request: Safe Updates Feature in SQL

Question

This feature prevents UPDATE or DELETE queries from executing unless they include a WHERE clause or a LIMIT. It's a safeguard against accidental table-wide modifications and helps maintain data integrity.

I believe SQL Server would greatly benefit from a similar feature. Here's how it might work:

• SET SAFE_UPDATES ON; → Blocks UPDATE and DELETE without WHERE or TOP clauses.
• SET SAFE_UPDATES OFF; → Disables this restriction.
• The setting could apply per session, per database, or globally.

Currently, SQL Server users rely on triggers or policies to achieve this behavior, which is cumbersome compared to a built-in option.

Does SQL Server have a similar feature or workaround? If not, would Microsoft consider adding this in a future release?

Answer 1

No, there is nothing in SQL Server that fits this request.

The place to file suggestions like this is https://feedback.azure.com/d365community/forum/04fe6ee0-3b25-ec11-b6e6-000d3a4f0da0