Release: 2.0.37 | Release Date: January 9, 2025

# SQLAlchemy 2.0 Documentation

# Insert, Updates, Deletes

INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE statements build on a hierarchy starting with `UpdateBase`. The `Insert` and `Update` constructs build on the intermediary `ValuesBase`.

## DML Foundational Constructors

Top level “INSERT”, “UPDATE”, “DELETE” constructors.

Object Name | Description
--- | ---
delete(table) | Construct `Delete` object.
insert(table) | Construct an `Insert` object.
update(table) | Construct an `Update` object.

function sqlalchemy.sql.expression.delete(table: _DMLTableArgument) → Delete

  Construct `Delete` object.

  E.g.:

      from sqlalchemy import delete

      stmt = delete(user_table).where(user_table.c.id == 5)

  Similar functionality is available via the `TableClause.delete()` method on `Table`.

  Parameters:

    table – The table to delete rows from.

  See also

  Using UPDATE and DELETE Statements - in the SQLAlchemy Unified Tutorial

function sqlalchemy.sql.expression.insert(table: _DMLTableArgument) → Insert

  Construct an `Insert` object.

  E.g.:

      from sqlalchemy import insert

      stmt = insert(user_table).values(name="username", fullname="Full Username")

  Similar functionality is available via the `TableClause.insert()` method on `Table`.

  See also

  Using INSERT Statements - in the SQLAlchemy Unified Tutorial

  Parameters:

    - table – `TableClause` which is the subject of the insert.

    - values – collection of values to be inserted; see `Insert.values()` for a description of allowed formats here. Can be omitted entirely; a `Insert` construct will also dynamically render the VALUES clause at execution time based on the parameters passed to `Connection.execute()`.

    - inline – if True, no attempt will be made to retrieve the SQL-generated default values to be provided within the statement; in particular, this allows SQL expressions to be rendered ‘inline’ within the statement without the need to pre-execute them beforehand; for backends that support “returning”, this turns off the “implicit returning” feature for the statement.

  If both `insert.values` and compile-time bind parameters are present, the compile-time bind parameters override the information specified within `insert.values` on a per-key basis.

  The keys within `Insert.values` can be either `Column` objects or their string identifiers. Each key may reference one of:

  - a literal data value (i.e. string, number, etc.);

  - a Column object;

  - a SELECT statement.

  If a `SELECT` statement is specified which references this `INSERT` statement’s table, the statement will be correlated against the `INSERT` statement.

  See also

  Using INSERT Statements - in the SQLAlchemy Unified Tutorial

function sqlalchemy.sql.expression.update(table: _DMLTableArgument) → Update

  Construct an `Update` object.

  E.g.:

      from sqlalchemy import update

      stmt = (
          update(user_table).where(user_table.c.id == 5).values(name="user #5")
      )

  Similar functionality is available via the `TableClause.update()` method on `Table`.

  Parameters:

    table – A `Table` object representing the database table to be updated.

  See also

  Using UPDATE and DELETE Statements - in the SQLAlchemy Unified Tutorial

## DML Class Documentation Constructors

Class documentation for the constructors listed at DML Foundational Constructors.

Object Name | Description
--- | ---
Delete | Represent a DELETE construct.
Insert | Represent an INSERT construct.
Update | Represent an Update construct.
UpdateBase | Form the base for `INSERT`, `UPDATE`, and `DELETE` statements.
ValuesBase | Supplies support for `ValuesBase.values()` to INSERT and UPDATE constructs.

class sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Delete

  Represent a DELETE construct.

  The `Delete` object is created using the `delete()` function.

  Members

  where(), with_dialect_options(), returning()

  Class signature

  class `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Delete` (`sqlalchemy.sql.expression.DMLWhereBase`, `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase`)

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Delete.`where(*whereclause: _ColumnExpressionArgument[bool]) → Self

    inherited from the `DMLWhereBase.where()` method of `DMLWhereBase`

    Return a new construct with the given expression(s) added to its WHERE clause, joined to the existing clause via AND, if any.

    Both `Update.where()` and `Delete.where()` support multiple-table forms, including database-specific `UPDATE...FROM` as well as `DELETE..USING`. For backends that don’t have multiple-table support, a backend agnostic approach to using multiple tables is to make use of correlated subqueries. See the linked tutorial sections below for examples.

    See also

    Correlated Updates

    UPDATE..FROM

    Multiple Table Deletes

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Delete.`with_dialect_options(**opt: Any) → Self

    inherited from the `UpdateBase.with_dialect_options()` method of `UpdateBase`

    Add dialect options to this INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE object.

    e.g.:

        upd = table.update().dialect_options(mysql_limit=10)

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Delete.`returning(*cols: _ColumnsClauseArgument[Any], sort_by_parameter_order: bool = False, **_UpdateBase__kw: Any) → UpdateBase

    inherited from the `UpdateBase.returning()` method of `UpdateBase`

    Add a RETURNING or equivalent clause to this statement.

    e.g.:

        >>> stmt = (
        ...     table.update()
        ...     .where(table.c.data == "value")
        ...     .values(status="X")
        ...     .returning(table.c.server_flag, table.c.updated_timestamp)
        ... )
        >>> print(stmt)
        UPDATE some_table SET status=:status
        WHERE some_table.data = :data_1
        RETURNING some_table.server_flag, some_table.updated_timestamp

    The method may be invoked multiple times to add new entries to the list of expressions to be returned.

    New in version 1.4.0b2: The method may be invoked multiple times to add new entries to the list of expressions to be returned.

    The given collection of column expressions should be derived from the table that is the target of the INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE. While `Column` objects are typical, the elements can also be expressions:

        >>> stmt = table.insert().returning(
        ...     (table.c.first_name + " " + table.c.last_name).label("fullname")
        ... )
        >>> print(stmt)
        INSERT INTO some_table (first_name, last_name)
        VALUES (:first_name, :last_name)
        RETURNING some_table.first_name || :first_name_1 || some_table.last_name AS fullname

    Upon compilation, a RETURNING clause, or database equivalent, will be rendered within the statement. For INSERT and UPDATE, the values are the newly inserted/updated values. For DELETE, the values are those of the rows which were deleted.

    Upon execution, the values of the columns to be returned are made available via the result set and can be iterated using `CursorResult.fetchone()` and similar. For DBAPIs which do not natively support returning values (i.e. cx_oracle), SQLAlchemy will approximate this behavior at the result level so that a reasonable amount of behavioral neutrality is provided.

    Note that not all databases/DBAPIs support RETURNING. For those backends with no support, an exception is raised upon compilation and/or execution. For those who do support it, the functionality across backends varies greatly, including restrictions on executemany() and other statements which return multiple rows. Please read the documentation notes for the database in use in order to determine the availability of RETURNING.

    Parameters:

      - *cols – series of columns, SQL expressions, or whole tables entities to be returned.

      - sort_by_parameter_order –

        for a batch INSERT that is being executed against multiple parameter sets, organize the results of RETURNING so that the returned rows correspond to the order of parameter sets passed in. This applies only to an executemany execution for supporting dialects and typically makes use of the insertmanyvalues feature.

        New in version 2.0.10.

        See also

        Correlating RETURNING rows to parameter sets - background on sorting of RETURNING rows for bulk INSERT (Core level discussion)

        Correlating RETURNING records with input data order - example of use with ORM Bulk INSERT Statements (ORM level discussion)

    See also

    `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` - an alternative method tailored towards efficient fetching of server-side defaults and triggers for single-row INSERTs or UPDATEs.

    INSERT…RETURNING - in the SQLAlchemy Unified Tutorial

class sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Insert

  Represent an INSERT construct.

  The `Insert` object is created using the `insert()` function.

  Members

  with_dialect_options(), values(), returning(), from_select(), inline(), select

  Class signature

  class `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Insert` (`sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ValuesBase`)

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Insert.`with_dialect_options(**opt: Any) → Self

    inherited from the `UpdateBase.with_dialect_options()` method of `UpdateBase`

    Add dialect options to this INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE object.

    e.g.:

        upd = table.update().dialect_options(mysql_limit=10)

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Insert.`values(*args: _DMLColumnKeyMapping[Any] | Sequence[Any], **kwargs: Any) → Self

    inherited from the `ValuesBase.values()` method of `ValuesBase`

    Specify a fixed VALUES clause for an INSERT statement, or the SET clause for an UPDATE.

    Note that the `Insert` and `Update` constructs support per-execution time formatting of the VALUES and/or SET clauses, based on the arguments passed to `Connection.execute()`. However, the `ValuesBase.values()` method can be used to “fix” a particular set of parameters into the statement.

    Multiple calls to `ValuesBase.values()` will produce a new construct, each one with the parameter list modified to include the new parameters sent. In the typical case of a single dictionary of parameters, the newly passed keys will replace the same keys in the previous construct. In the case of a list-based “multiple values” construct, each new list of values is extended onto the existing list of values.

    Parameters:

      - **kwargs –

        key value pairs representing the string key of a `Column` mapped to the value to be rendered into the VALUES or SET clause:

            users.insert().values(name="some name")

            users.update().where(users.c.id == 5).values(name="some name")

      - *args –

        As an alternative to passing key/value parameters, a dictionary, tuple, or list of dictionaries or tuples can be passed as a single positional argument in order to form the VALUES or SET clause of the statement. The forms that are accepted vary based on whether this is an `Insert` or an `Update` construct.

        For either an `Insert` or `Update` construct, a single dictionary can be passed, which works the same as that of the kwargs form:

            users.insert().values({"name": "some name"})

            users.update().values({"name": "some new name"})

        Also for either form but more typically for the `Insert` construct, a tuple that contains an entry for every column in the table is also accepted:

            users.insert().values((5, "some name"))

        The `Insert` construct also supports being passed a list of dictionaries or full-table-tuples, which on the server will render the less common SQL syntax of “multiple values” - this syntax is supported on backends such as SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, but not necessarily others:

            users.insert().values(
                [
                    {"name": "some name"},
                    {"name": "some other name"},
                    {"name": "yet another name"},
                ]
            )

        The above form would render a multiple VALUES statement similar to:

            INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES
                            (:name_1),
                            (:name_2),
                            (:name_3)

        It is essential to note that passing multiple values is NOT the same as using traditional executemany() form. The above syntax is a special syntax not typically used. To emit an INSERT statement against multiple rows, the normal method is to pass a multiple values list to the `Connection.execute()` method, which is supported by all database backends and is generally more efficient for a very large number of parameters.

        > > See also

        > > Sending Multiple Parameters - an introduction to the traditional Core method of multiple parameter set invocation for INSERTs and other statements.

        > The UPDATE construct also supports rendering the SET parameters in a specific order. For this feature refer to the `Update.ordered_values()` method.

        > > See also

        > > `Update.ordered_values()`

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Insert.`returning(*cols: _ColumnsClauseArgument[Any], sort_by_parameter_order: bool = False, **_UpdateBase__kw: Any) → UpdateBase

    inherited from the `UpdateBase.returning()` method of `UpdateBase`

    Add a RETURNING or equivalent clause to this statement.

    e.g.:

        >>> stmt = (
        ...     table.update()
        ...     .where(table.c.data == "value")
        ...     .values(status="X")
        ...     .returning(table.c.server_flag, table.c.updated_timestamp)
        ... )
        >>> print(stmt)
        UPDATE some_table SET status=:status
        WHERE some_table.data = :data_1
        RETURNING some_table.server_flag, some_table.updated_timestamp

    The method may be invoked multiple times to add new entries to the list of expressions to be returned.

    New in version 1.4.0b2: The method may be invoked multiple times to add new entries to the list of expressions to be returned.

    The given collection of column expressions should be derived from the table that is the target of the INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE. While `Column` objects are typical, the elements can also be expressions:

        >>> stmt = table.insert().returning(
        ...     (table.c.first_name + " " + table.c.last_name).label("fullname")
        ... )
        >>> print(stmt)
        INSERT INTO some_table (first_name, last_name)
        VALUES (:first_name, :last_name)
        RETURNING some_table.first_name || :first_name_1 || some_table.last_name AS fullname

    Upon compilation, a RETURNING clause, or database equivalent, will be rendered within the statement. For INSERT and UPDATE, the values are the newly inserted/updated values. For DELETE, the values are those of the rows which were deleted.

    Upon execution, the values of the columns to be returned are made available via the result set and can be iterated using `CursorResult.fetchone()` and similar. For DBAPIs which do not natively support returning values (i.e. cx_oracle), SQLAlchemy will approximate this behavior at the result level so that a reasonable amount of behavioral neutrality is provided.

    Note that not all databases/DBAPIs support RETURNING. For those backends with no support, an exception is raised upon compilation and/or execution. For those who do support it, the functionality across backends varies greatly, including restrictions on executemany() and other statements which return multiple rows. Please read the documentation notes for the database in use in order to determine the availability of RETURNING.

    Parameters:

      - *cols – series of columns, SQL expressions, or whole tables entities to be returned.

      - sort_by_parameter_order –

        for a batch INSERT that is being executed against multiple parameter sets, organize the results of RETURNING so that the returned rows correspond to the order of parameter sets passed in. This applies only to an executemany execution for supporting dialects and typically makes use of the insertmanyvalues feature.

        New in version 2.0.10.

        See also

        Correlating RETURNING rows to parameter sets - background on sorting of RETURNING rows for bulk INSERT (Core level discussion)

        Correlating RETURNING records with input data order - example of use with ORM Bulk INSERT Statements (ORM level discussion)

    See also

    `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` - an alternative method tailored towards efficient fetching of server-side defaults and triggers for single-row INSERTs or UPDATEs.

    INSERT…RETURNING - in the SQLAlchemy Unified Tutorial

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Insert.`from_select(names: Sequence[_DMLColumnArgument], select: Selectable, include_defaults: bool = True) → Self

    Return a new `Insert` construct which represents an `INSERT...FROM SELECT` statement.

    e.g.:

        sel = select(table1.c.a, table1.c.b).where(table1.c.c > 5)
        ins = table2.insert().from_select(["a", "b"], sel)

    Parameters:

      - names – a sequence of string column names or `Column` objects representing the target columns.

      - select – a `select()` construct, `FromClause` or other construct which resolves into a `FromClause`, such as an ORM `Query` object, etc. The order of columns returned from this FROM clause should correspond to the order of columns sent as the `names` parameter; while this is not checked before passing along to the database, the database would normally raise an exception if these column lists don’t correspond.

      - include_defaults –

        if True, non-server default values and SQL expressions as specified on `Column` objects (as documented in Column INSERT/UPDATE Defaults) not otherwise specified in the list of names will be rendered into the INSERT and SELECT statements, so that these values are also included in the data to be inserted.

        Note

        A Python-side default that uses a Python callable function will only be invoked once for the whole statement, and not per row.

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Insert.`inline() → Self

    Make this `Insert` construct “inline” .

    When set, no attempt will be made to retrieve the SQL-generated default values to be provided within the statement; in particular, this allows SQL expressions to be rendered ‘inline’ within the statement without the need to pre-execute them beforehand; for backends that support “returning”, this turns off the “implicit returning” feature for the statement.

    Changed in version 1.4: the `Insert.inline` parameter is now superseded by the `Insert.inline()` method.

  attribute `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Insert.`select: Select[Any] | None = None

    SELECT statement for INSERT .. FROM SELECT

class sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Update

  Represent an Update construct.

  The `Update` object is created using the `update()` function.

  Members

  returning(), where(), with_dialect_options(), values(), inline(), ordered_values()

  Class signature

  class `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Update` (`sqlalchemy.sql.expression.DMLWhereBase`, `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ValuesBase`)

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Update.`returning(*cols: _ColumnsClauseArgument[Any], sort_by_parameter_order: bool = False, **_UpdateBase__kw: Any) → UpdateBase

    inherited from the `UpdateBase.returning()` method of `UpdateBase`

    Add a RETURNING or equivalent clause to this statement.

    e.g.:

        >>> stmt = (
        ...     table.update()
        ...     .where(table.c.data == "value")
        ...     .values(status="X")
        ...     .returning(table.c.server_flag, table.c.updated_timestamp)
        ... )
        >>> print(stmt)
        UPDATE some_table SET status=:status
        WHERE some_table.data = :data_1
        RETURNING some_table.server_flag, some_table.updated_timestamp

    The method may be invoked multiple times to add new entries to the list of expressions to be returned.

    New in version 1.4.0b2: The method may be invoked multiple times to add new entries to the list of expressions to be returned.

    The given collection of column expressions should be derived from the table that is the target of the INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE. While `Column` objects are typical, the elements can also be expressions:

        >>> stmt = table.insert().returning(
        ...     (table.c.first_name + " " + table.c.last_name).label("fullname")
        ... )
        >>> print(stmt)
        INSERT INTO some_table (first_name, last_name)
        VALUES (:first_name, :last_name)
        RETURNING some_table.first_name || :first_name_1 || some_table.last_name AS fullname

    Upon compilation, a RETURNING clause, or database equivalent, will be rendered within the statement. For INSERT and UPDATE, the values are the newly inserted/updated values. For DELETE, the values are those of the rows which were deleted.

    Upon execution, the values of the columns to be returned are made available via the result set and can be iterated using `CursorResult.fetchone()` and similar. For DBAPIs which do not natively support returning values (i.e. cx_oracle), SQLAlchemy will approximate this behavior at the result level so that a reasonable amount of behavioral neutrality is provided.

    Note that not all databases/DBAPIs support RETURNING. For those backends with no support, an exception is raised upon compilation and/or execution. For those who do support it, the functionality across backends varies greatly, including restrictions on executemany() and other statements which return multiple rows. Please read the documentation notes for the database in use in order to determine the availability of RETURNING.

    Parameters:

      - *cols – series of columns, SQL expressions, or whole tables entities to be returned.

      - sort_by_parameter_order –

        for a batch INSERT that is being executed against multiple parameter sets, organize the results of RETURNING so that the returned rows correspond to the order of parameter sets passed in. This applies only to an executemany execution for supporting dialects and typically makes use of the insertmanyvalues feature.

        New in version 2.0.10.

        See also

        Correlating RETURNING rows to parameter sets - background on sorting of RETURNING rows for bulk INSERT (Core level discussion)

        Correlating RETURNING records with input data order - example of use with ORM Bulk INSERT Statements (ORM level discussion)

    See also

    `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` - an alternative method tailored towards efficient fetching of server-side defaults and triggers for single-row INSERTs or UPDATEs.

    INSERT…RETURNING - in the SQLAlchemy Unified Tutorial

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Update.`where(*whereclause: _ColumnExpressionArgument[bool]) → Self

    inherited from the `DMLWhereBase.where()` method of `DMLWhereBase`

    Return a new construct with the given expression(s) added to its WHERE clause, joined to the existing clause via AND, if any.

    Both `Update.where()` and `Delete.where()` support multiple-table forms, including database-specific `UPDATE...FROM` as well as `DELETE..USING`. For backends that don’t have multiple-table support, a backend agnostic approach to using multiple tables is to make use of correlated subqueries. See the linked tutorial sections below for examples.

    See also

    Correlated Updates

    UPDATE..FROM

    Multiple Table Deletes

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Update.`with_dialect_options(**opt: Any) → Self

    inherited from the `UpdateBase.with_dialect_options()` method of `UpdateBase`

    Add dialect options to this INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE object.

    e.g.:

        upd = table.update().dialect_options(mysql_limit=10)

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Update.`values(*args: _DMLColumnKeyMapping[Any] | Sequence[Any], **kwargs: Any) → Self

    inherited from the `ValuesBase.values()` method of `ValuesBase`

    Specify a fixed VALUES clause for an INSERT statement, or the SET clause for an UPDATE.

    Note that the `Insert` and `Update` constructs support per-execution time formatting of the VALUES and/or SET clauses, based on the arguments passed to `Connection.execute()`. However, the `ValuesBase.values()` method can be used to “fix” a particular set of parameters into the statement.

    Multiple calls to `ValuesBase.values()` will produce a new construct, each one with the parameter list modified to include the new parameters sent. In the typical case of a single dictionary of parameters, the newly passed keys will replace the same keys in the previous construct. In the case of a list-based “multiple values” construct, each new list of values is extended onto the existing list of values.

    Parameters:

      - **kwargs –

        key value pairs representing the string key of a `Column` mapped to the value to be rendered into the VALUES or SET clause:

            users.insert().values(name="some name")

            users.update().where(users.c.id == 5).values(name="some name")

      - *args –

        As an alternative to passing key/value parameters, a dictionary, tuple, or list of dictionaries or tuples can be passed as a single positional argument in order to form the VALUES or SET clause of the statement. The forms that are accepted vary based on whether this is an `Insert` or an `Update` construct.

        For either an `Insert` or `Update` construct, a single dictionary can be passed, which works the same as that of the kwargs form:

            users.insert().values({"name": "some name"})

            users.update().values({"name": "some new name"})

        Also for either form but more typically for the `Insert` construct, a tuple that contains an entry for every column in the table is also accepted:

            users.insert().values((5, "some name"))

        The `Insert` construct also supports being passed a list of dictionaries or full-table-tuples, which on the server will render the less common SQL syntax of “multiple values” - this syntax is supported on backends such as SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, but not necessarily others:

            users.insert().values(
                [
                    {"name": "some name"},
                    {"name": "some other name"},
                    {"name": "yet another name"},
                ]
            )

        The above form would render a multiple VALUES statement similar to:

            INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES
                            (:name_1),
                            (:name_2),
                            (:name_3)

        It is essential to note that passing multiple values is NOT the same as using traditional executemany() form. The above syntax is a special syntax not typically used. To emit an INSERT statement against multiple rows, the normal method is to pass a multiple values list to the `Connection.execute()` method, which is supported by all database backends and is generally more efficient for a very large number of parameters.

        > > See also

        > > Sending Multiple Parameters - an introduction to the traditional Core method of multiple parameter set invocation for INSERTs and other statements.

        > The UPDATE construct also supports rendering the SET parameters in a specific order. For this feature refer to the `Update.ordered_values()` method.

        > > See also

        > > `Update.ordered_values()`

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Update.`inline() → Self

    Make this `Update` construct “inline” .

    When set, SQL defaults present on `Column` objects via the `default` keyword will be compiled ‘inline’ into the statement and not pre-executed. This means that their values will not be available in the dictionary returned from `CursorResult.last_updated_params()`.

    Changed in version 1.4: the `update.inline` parameter is now superseded by the `Update.inline()` method.

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Update.`ordered_values(*args: Tuple[_DMLColumnArgument, Any]) → Self

    Specify the VALUES clause of this UPDATE statement with an explicit parameter ordering that will be maintained in the SET clause of the resulting UPDATE statement.

    E.g.:

        stmt = table.update().ordered_values(("name", "ed"), ("ident", "foo"))

    See also

    Parameter Ordered Updates - full example of the `Update.ordered_values()` method.

    Changed in version 1.4: The `Update.ordered_values()` method supersedes the `update.preserve_parameter_order` parameter, which will be removed in SQLAlchemy 2.0.

class sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase

  Form the base for `INSERT`, `UPDATE`, and `DELETE` statements.

  Members

  entity_description, exported_columns, params(), return_defaults(), returning(), returning_column_descriptions, with_dialect_options(), with_hint()

  Class signature

  class `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase` (`sqlalchemy.sql.roles.DMLRole`, `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.HasCTE`, `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.HasCompileState`, `sqlalchemy.sql.base.DialectKWArgs`, `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.HasPrefixes`, `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.Generative`, `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ExecutableReturnsRows`, `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ClauseElement`)

  attribute `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase.`entity_description

    Return a plugin-enabled description of the table and/or entity which this DML construct is operating against.

    This attribute is generally useful when using the ORM, as an extended structure which includes information about mapped entities is returned. The section Inspecting entities and columns from ORM-enabled SELECT and DML statements contains more background.

    For a Core statement, the structure returned by this accessor is derived from the `UpdateBase.table` attribute, and refers to the `Table` being inserted, updated, or deleted:

        >>> stmt = insert(user_table)
        >>> stmt.entity_description
        {
            "name": "user_table",
            "table": Table("user_table", ...)
        }

    New in version 1.4.33.

    See also

    `UpdateBase.returning_column_descriptions`

    `Select.column_descriptions` - entity information for a `select()` construct

    Inspecting entities and columns from ORM-enabled SELECT and DML statements - ORM background

  attribute `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase.`exported_columns

    Return the RETURNING columns as a column collection for this statement.

    New in version 1.4.

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase.`params(*arg: Any, **kw: Any) → NoReturn

    Set the parameters for the statement.

    This method raises `NotImplementedError` on the base class, and is overridden by `ValuesBase` to provide the SET/VALUES clause of UPDATE and INSERT.

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase.`return_defaults(*cols: _DMLColumnArgument, supplemental_cols: Iterable[_DMLColumnArgument] | None = None, sort_by_parameter_order: bool = False) → Self

    Make use of a RETURNING clause for the purpose of fetching server-side expressions and defaults, for supporting backends only.

    Deep Alchemy

    The `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` method is used by the ORM for its internal work in fetching newly generated primary key and server default values, in particular to provide the underyling implementation of the `Mapper.eager_defaults` ORM feature as well as to allow RETURNING support with bulk ORM inserts. Its behavior is fairly idiosyncratic and is not really intended for general use. End users should stick with using `UpdateBase.returning()` in order to add RETURNING clauses to their INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE statements.

    Normally, a single row INSERT statement will automatically populate the `CursorResult.inserted_primary_key` attribute when executed, which stores the primary key of the row that was just inserted in the form of a `Row` object with column names as named tuple keys (and the `Row._mapping` view fully populated as well). The dialect in use chooses the strategy to use in order to populate this data; if it was generated using server-side defaults and / or SQL expressions, dialect-specific approaches such as `cursor.lastrowid` or `RETURNING` are typically used to acquire the new primary key value.

    However, when the statement is modified by calling `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` before executing the statement, additional behaviors take place only for backends that support RETURNING and for `Table` objects that maintain the `Table.implicit_returning` parameter at its default value of `True`. In these cases, when the `CursorResult` is returned from the statement’s execution, not only will `CursorResult.inserted_primary_key` be populated as always, the `CursorResult.returned_defaults` attribute will also be populated with a `Row` named-tuple representing the full range of server generated values from that single row, including values for any columns that specify `Column.server_default` or which make use of `Column.default` using a SQL expression.

    When invoking INSERT statements with multiple rows using insertmanyvalues, the `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` modifier will have the effect of the `CursorResult.inserted_primary_key_rows` and `CursorResult.returned_defaults_rows` attributes being fully populated with lists of `Row` objects representing newly inserted primary key values as well as newly inserted server generated values for each row inserted. The `CursorResult.inserted_primary_key` and `CursorResult.returned_defaults` attributes will also continue to be populated with the first row of these two collections.

    If the backend does not support RETURNING or the `Table` in use has disabled `Table.implicit_returning`, then no RETURNING clause is added and no additional data is fetched, however the INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE statement proceeds normally.

    E.g.:

        stmt = table.insert().values(data="newdata").return_defaults()

        result = connection.execute(stmt)

        server_created_at = result.returned_defaults["created_at"]

    When used against an UPDATE statement `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` instead looks for columns that include `Column.onupdate` or `Column.server_onupdate` parameters assigned, when constructing the columns that will be included in the RETURNING clause by default if explicit columns were not specified. When used against a DELETE statement, no columns are included in RETURNING by default, they instead must be specified explicitly as there are no columns that normally change values when a DELETE statement proceeds.

    New in version 2.0: `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` is supported for DELETE statements also and has been moved from `ValuesBase` to `UpdateBase`.

    The `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` method is mutually exclusive against the `UpdateBase.returning()` method and errors will be raised during the SQL compilation process if both are used at the same time on one statement. The RETURNING clause of the INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE statement is therefore controlled by only one of these methods at a time.

    The `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` method differs from `UpdateBase.returning()` in these ways:

    1. `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` method causes the `CursorResult.returned_defaults` collection to be populated with the first row from the RETURNING result. This attribute is not populated when using `UpdateBase.returning()`.

    2. `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` is compatible with existing logic used to fetch auto-generated primary key values that are then populated into the `CursorResult.inserted_primary_key` attribute. By contrast, using `UpdateBase.returning()` will have the effect of the `CursorResult.inserted_primary_key` attribute being left unpopulated.

    3. `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` can be called against any backend. Backends that don’t support RETURNING will skip the usage of the feature, rather than raising an exception, unless `supplemental_cols` is passed. The return value of `CursorResult.returned_defaults` will be `None` for backends that don’t support RETURNING or for which the target `Table` sets `Table.implicit_returning` to `False`.

    4. An INSERT statement invoked with executemany() is supported if the backend database driver supports the insertmanyvalues feature which is now supported by most SQLAlchemy-included backends. When executemany is used, the `CursorResult.returned_defaults_rows` and `CursorResult.inserted_primary_key_rows` accessors will return the inserted defaults and primary keys.

       New in version 1.4: Added `CursorResult.returned_defaults_rows` and `CursorResult.inserted_primary_key_rows` accessors. In version 2.0, the underlying implementation which fetches and populates the data for these attributes was generalized to be supported by most backends, whereas in 1.4 they were only supported by the `psycopg2` driver.

    Parameters:

      - cols – optional list of column key names or `Column` that acts as a filter for those columns that will be fetched.

      - supplemental_cols –

        optional list of RETURNING expressions, in the same form as one would pass to the `UpdateBase.returning()` method. When present, the additional columns will be included in the RETURNING clause, and the `CursorResult` object will be “rewound” when returned, so that methods like `CursorResult.all()` will return new rows mostly as though the statement used `UpdateBase.returning()` directly. However, unlike when using `UpdateBase.returning()` directly, the order of the columns is undefined, so can only be targeted using names or `Row._mapping` keys; they cannot reliably be targeted positionally.

        New in version 2.0.

      - sort_by_parameter_order –

        for a batch INSERT that is being executed against multiple parameter sets, organize the results of RETURNING so that the returned rows correspond to the order of parameter sets passed in. This applies only to an executemany execution for supporting dialects and typically makes use of the insertmanyvalues feature.

        New in version 2.0.10.

        See also

        Correlating RETURNING rows to parameter sets - background on sorting of RETURNING rows for bulk INSERT

    See also

    `UpdateBase.returning()`

    `CursorResult.returned_defaults`

    `CursorResult.returned_defaults_rows`

    `CursorResult.inserted_primary_key`

    `CursorResult.inserted_primary_key_rows`

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase.`returning(*cols: _ColumnsClauseArgument[Any], sort_by_parameter_order: bool = False, **_UpdateBase__kw: Any) → UpdateBase

    Add a RETURNING or equivalent clause to this statement.

    e.g.:

        >>> stmt = (
        ...     table.update()
        ...     .where(table.c.data == "value")
        ...     .values(status="X")
        ...     .returning(table.c.server_flag, table.c.updated_timestamp)
        ... )
        >>> print(stmt)
        UPDATE some_table SET status=:status
        WHERE some_table.data = :data_1
        RETURNING some_table.server_flag, some_table.updated_timestamp

    The method may be invoked multiple times to add new entries to the list of expressions to be returned.

    New in version 1.4.0b2: The method may be invoked multiple times to add new entries to the list of expressions to be returned.

    The given collection of column expressions should be derived from the table that is the target of the INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE. While `Column` objects are typical, the elements can also be expressions:

        >>> stmt = table.insert().returning(
        ...     (table.c.first_name + " " + table.c.last_name).label("fullname")
        ... )
        >>> print(stmt)
        INSERT INTO some_table (first_name, last_name)
        VALUES (:first_name, :last_name)
        RETURNING some_table.first_name || :first_name_1 || some_table.last_name AS fullname

    Upon compilation, a RETURNING clause, or database equivalent, will be rendered within the statement. For INSERT and UPDATE, the values are the newly inserted/updated values. For DELETE, the values are those of the rows which were deleted.

    Upon execution, the values of the columns to be returned are made available via the result set and can be iterated using `CursorResult.fetchone()` and similar. For DBAPIs which do not natively support returning values (i.e. cx_oracle), SQLAlchemy will approximate this behavior at the result level so that a reasonable amount of behavioral neutrality is provided.

    Note that not all databases/DBAPIs support RETURNING. For those backends with no support, an exception is raised upon compilation and/or execution. For those who do support it, the functionality across backends varies greatly, including restrictions on executemany() and other statements which return multiple rows. Please read the documentation notes for the database in use in order to determine the availability of RETURNING.

    Parameters:

      - *cols – series of columns, SQL expressions, or whole tables entities to be returned.

      - sort_by_parameter_order –

        for a batch INSERT that is being executed against multiple parameter sets, organize the results of RETURNING so that the returned rows correspond to the order of parameter sets passed in. This applies only to an executemany execution for supporting dialects and typically makes use of the insertmanyvalues feature.

        New in version 2.0.10.

        See also

        Correlating RETURNING rows to parameter sets - background on sorting of RETURNING rows for bulk INSERT (Core level discussion)

        Correlating RETURNING records with input data order - example of use with ORM Bulk INSERT Statements (ORM level discussion)

    See also

    `UpdateBase.return_defaults()` - an alternative method tailored towards efficient fetching of server-side defaults and triggers for single-row INSERTs or UPDATEs.

    INSERT…RETURNING - in the SQLAlchemy Unified Tutorial

  attribute `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase.`returning_column_descriptions

    Return a plugin-enabled description of the columns which this DML construct is RETURNING against, in other words the expressions established as part of `UpdateBase.returning()`.

    This attribute is generally useful when using the ORM, as an extended structure which includes information about mapped entities is returned. The section Inspecting entities and columns from ORM-enabled SELECT and DML statements contains more background.

    For a Core statement, the structure returned by this accessor is derived from the same objects that are returned by the `UpdateBase.exported_columns` accessor:

        >>> stmt = insert(user_table).returning(user_table.c.id, user_table.c.name)
        >>> stmt.entity_description
        [
            {
                "name": "id",
                "type": Integer,
                "expr": Column("id", Integer(), table=<user>, ...)
            },
            {
                "name": "name",
                "type": String(),
                "expr": Column("name", String(), table=<user>, ...)
            },
        ]

    New in version 1.4.33.

    See also

    `UpdateBase.entity_description`

    `Select.column_descriptions` - entity information for a `select()` construct

    Inspecting entities and columns from ORM-enabled SELECT and DML statements - ORM background

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase.`with_dialect_options(**opt: Any) → Self

    Add dialect options to this INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE object.

    e.g.:

        upd = table.update().dialect_options(mysql_limit=10)

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase.`with_hint(text: str, selectable: _DMLTableArgument | None = None, dialect_name: str = '*') → Self

    Add a table hint for a single table to this INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE statement.

    Note

    `UpdateBase.with_hint()` currently applies only to Microsoft SQL Server. For MySQL INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE hints, use `UpdateBase.prefix_with()`.

    The text of the hint is rendered in the appropriate location for the database backend in use, relative to the `Table` that is the subject of this statement, or optionally to that of the given `Table` passed as the `selectable` argument.

    The `dialect_name` option will limit the rendering of a particular hint to a particular backend. Such as, to add a hint that only takes effect for SQL Server:

        mytable.insert().with_hint("WITH (PAGLOCK)", dialect_name="mssql")

    Parameters:

      - text – Text of the hint.

      - selectable – optional `Table` that specifies an element of the FROM clause within an UPDATE or DELETE to be the subject of the hint - applies only to certain backends.

      - dialect_name – defaults to `*`, if specified as the name of a particular dialect, will apply these hints only when that dialect is in use.

class sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ValuesBase

  Supplies support for `ValuesBase.values()` to INSERT and UPDATE constructs.

  Members

  select, values()

  Class signature

  class `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ValuesBase` (`sqlalchemy.sql.expression.UpdateBase`)

  attribute `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ValuesBase.`select: Select[Any] | None = None

    SELECT statement for INSERT .. FROM SELECT

  method `sqlalchemy.sql.expression.ValuesBase.`values(*args: _DMLColumnKeyMapping[Any] | Sequence[Any], **kwargs: Any) → Self

    Specify a fixed VALUES clause for an INSERT statement, or the SET clause for an UPDATE.

    Note that the `Insert` and `Update` constructs support per-execution time formatting of the VALUES and/or SET clauses, based on the arguments passed to `Connection.execute()`. However, the `ValuesBase.values()` method can be used to “fix” a particular set of parameters into the statement.

    Multiple calls to `ValuesBase.values()` will produce a new construct, each one with the parameter list modified to include the new parameters sent. In the typical case of a single dictionary of parameters, the newly passed keys will replace the same keys in the previous construct. In the case of a list-based “multiple values” construct, each new list of values is extended onto the existing list of values.

    Parameters:

      - **kwargs –

        key value pairs representing the string key of a `Column` mapped to the value to be rendered into the VALUES or SET clause:

            users.insert().values(name="some name")

            users.update().where(users.c.id == 5).values(name="some name")

      - *args –

        As an alternative to passing key/value parameters, a dictionary, tuple, or list of dictionaries or tuples can be passed as a single positional argument in order to form the VALUES or SET clause of the statement. The forms that are accepted vary based on whether this is an `Insert` or an `Update` construct.

        For either an `Insert` or `Update` construct, a single dictionary can be passed, which works the same as that of the kwargs form:

            users.insert().values({"name": "some name"})

            users.update().values({"name": "some new name"})

        Also for either form but more typically for the `Insert` construct, a tuple that contains an entry for every column in the table is also accepted:

            users.insert().values((5, "some name"))

        The `Insert` construct also supports being passed a list of dictionaries or full-table-tuples, which on the server will render the less common SQL syntax of “multiple values” - this syntax is supported on backends such as SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, but not necessarily others:

            users.insert().values(
                [
                    {"name": "some name"},
                    {"name": "some other name"},
                    {"name": "yet another name"},
                ]
            )

        The above form would render a multiple VALUES statement similar to:

            INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES
                            (:name_1),
                            (:name_2),
                            (:name_3)

        It is essential to note that passing multiple values is NOT the same as using traditional executemany() form. The above syntax is a special syntax not typically used. To emit an INSERT statement against multiple rows, the normal method is to pass a multiple values list to the `Connection.execute()` method, which is supported by all database backends and is generally more efficient for a very large number of parameters.

        > > See also

        > > Sending Multiple Parameters - an introduction to the traditional Core method of multiple parameter set invocation for INSERTs and other statements.

        > The UPDATE construct also supports rendering the SET parameters in a specific order. For this feature refer to the `Update.ordered_values()` method.

        > > See also

        > > `Update.ordered_values()`