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Potential lifesaver for anyone using MySQL, you can start the client with --i-am-a-dummy to prevent DELETE or UPDATE statements without a WHERE clause: http://

Potential lifesaver for anyone using MySQL, you can start the client with --i-am-a-dummy to prevent DELETE or UPDATE statements without a WHERE clause: http://sql-info.de/mysql/notes/I-am-a-dummy.html http://sql-info.de/mysql/notes/I-am-a-dummy.html

sneak 15y ago
Why is this not the default, with an option to DISable?
- soult 15y ago
  Because it's against the SQL standard (not that MySQL cares very much for that anyway). Just like SELECT * FROM table returns all the rows, DELETE FROM table deletes all the rows.
  - sneak 15y ago
    Let me rephrase: Why isn't the default mode of the mysql command line client to diverge from the SQL standard in the name of safety, with a command line option to enable "100% standard" (aka unsafe) mode? I understand the SQL standard, and I understand the behavior. Why is the behavior of the software defaulting to "fuck up your life" in deference to some book on a shelf? (Especially considering you could revert to "fuck up your life" mode easily with a flag.)
soult 15y ago
I don't know how to do this for the MySQL client, but a very useful trick for your the PostgreSQL client is to turn autocommit off, which basically turns your session into a transaction that you have to manually commit before closing the client. So if you do a "DELETE FROM important_data WHERE condition_that_is_always_true" or something and it says "Removed 9001 rows" you can just ROLLBACK and your data is still save.
- ams6110 15y ago
  Oracle works this way, too. I fact I don't believe there is any such ridiculous feature as "autocommit" in Oracle, that is only something that might happen in a client application. Closest thing I can think of is that sql*plus will perform a commit upon normal exit.
- cloudwalking 15y ago
  SET autocommit=0;
dools 15y ago
Years ago I developed the habit of writing WHERE clauses first and then hitting the home key to write the query.

sneak 15y ago

Why is this not the default, with an option to DISable?

soult 15y ago
Because it's against the SQL standard (not that MySQL cares very much for that anyway). Just like SELECT * FROM table returns all the rows, DELETE FROM table deletes all the rows.
- sneak 15y ago
  Let me rephrase: Why isn't the default mode of the mysql command line client to diverge from the SQL standard in the name of safety, with a command line option to enable "100% standard" (aka unsafe) mode? I understand the SQL standard, and I understand the behavior. Why is the behavior of the software defaulting to "fuck up your life" in deference to some book on a shelf? (Especially considering you could revert to "fuck up your life" mode easily with a flag.)

soult 15y ago

I don't know how to do this for the MySQL client, but a very useful trick for your the PostgreSQL client is to turn autocommit off, which basically turns your session into a transaction that you have to manually commit before closing the client. So if you do a "DELETE FROM important_data WHERE condition_that_is_always_true" or something and it says "Removed 9001 rows" you can just ROLLBACK and your data is still save.

ams6110 15y ago
Oracle works this way, too. I fact I don't believe there is any such ridiculous feature as "autocommit" in Oracle, that is only something that might happen in a client application. Closest thing I can think of is that sql*plus will perform a commit upon normal exit.
cloudwalking 15y ago
SET autocommit=0;

dools 15y ago

Years ago I developed the habit of writing WHERE clauses first and then hitting the home key to write the query.