Table of Contents for

MySQL in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

This function executes an SQL statement without having to use the prepare() method. It returns the number of rows changed. The first argument contains an SQL statement. If placeholders are used in the SQL statement, their values are provided in a comma-separated list or in an array in the third argument. Statement handle attributes may be given for the second argument. You would use this method only with SQL statements that do not return data values (e.g., use with UPDATE, not SELECT). Here is an example:

...
my $sql_stmnt = "UPDATE books SET publisher = ?
                 WHERE publisher = ?";
                 
my @values = ('Oxford Univ. Press', 'OUP');

$dbh->do($sql_stmnt, undef, @values);

$dbh->disconnect();

In this example, the initials of a particular publisher are changed to the publisher’s name. The SQL statement is executed without a prepare() or an execute()—that is, without a statement handle. Therefore, a finish() isn’t required, just a disconnect(). If you want to know the number of rows changed, change the example like so:

...
my $rows_changed = $dbh->do($sql_stmnt, undef, @values);
print "Rows Changed: $rows_changed";