Is there a way to set data in multiple records in one query?

[WetWired]

Originally Posted by rake

there's no way around sending multiple queries, if i understand correctly what wetwired wants to do.




If you can send multiple queries in one go (never tried it), it would be more efficient than what i wrote, since you wouldn't lose time looping through that for statement.

What I mean is that I would loop and accumulate the UPDATE queries in a string separated by semicolons, then send them all in the same mysql_query call. Does this do anything to minimize overhead?

Also, people are always talking about the cost of a hack in terms of queries, but I can easily construct a query that will take 10 times longer to execute than another. What gives? I hardly believe that the majority of users concerned with such things aren't using mysql as a library, so I don't understand why the number of queries should be more important than the time spent executing them.