How to Correctly Subtract Values from a MySQL Column?

Subtracting Values from a MySQL Column

When attempting to update a column in MySQL by subtracting a value, it's important to understand the proper syntax. Unlike the suggested query:

UPDATE `a75ting`.`username` SET `points` = '`points` - 5'

the correct approach is:

UPDATE a75ting.username
SET points = points - 5

The key difference here is the omission of single quotes around the expression 'points - 5'. When you include the single quotes, it becomes a plain text string. By removing them, MySQL recognizes 'points' as a field and performs the necessary subtraction.

To clarify, the expression 'points - 5' instructs MySQL to subtract 5 from the current value of the 'points' field for each row in the table. This allows you to efficiently adjust the 'points' column without manually computing new values.

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