Is it possible to bulk update specific values in postgresql efficiently? - postgresql

Question

I have created a pipeline which is required to update a high number of rows in postgres where each row should be updated differently.
After looking up I found that this could be done using postgres UPDATE.. FROM.. syntax (https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-update.html) and I came up with the following query that works perfectly fine:
update grades
set course_id = data_table.course_id,
student_id = data_table.student_id,
grade = data_table.grade
from
(select unnest(array[1,2]) as id, unnest(array['Math', 'Math']) as course_id, unnest(array[1000, 1001]) as student_id, unnest(array[95, 100]) as grade) as data_table
where grades.id = data_table.id;
There's also another way to do it with WITH syntax like this:
update grades
set course_id = data_table.course_id,
student_id = data_table.student_id,
grade = data_table.grade
from
(WITH vals (id, course_id, student_id, grade) as (VALUES (1, 'Math', 1000, 95), (2, 'Math', 1001, 100)) SELECT * from vals) as data_table
where grades.id = data_table.id;
My problem is that sometimes I want in some raws to update a field and sometime not. When I don't want to update I just want to keep the value that is currently in the table. In this case, I would want to potentially do something like:
update grades g
set course_id = data_table.course_id,
student_id = data_table.student_id,
grade = data_table.grade
from
(select unnest(array[1,2]) as id, unnest(array[g.course_id, 'Math2']) as course_id, unnest(array[1000, 1001]) as student_id, unnest(array[95, g.grade]) as grade) as data_table
where grades.id = data_table.id;
However this is not possible and I get back the error HINT: There is an entry for table "g", but it cannot be referenced from this part of the query.
Also postgresql documentation specifies about it in the From description:
Note that the target table must not appear in the from_list,
unless you intend a self-join (in which case it must appear with an alias in the from_list).
Does anyone know if there's a way to perform such bulk update ?
I've tried to use JOINs in inner query but with no luck..

Answer 1

Chose a value that cannot be a valid value, eg '-1' for course name and -1 for a grade, and use that for your generated values, then use a case in the insert to direct whether to use the current value or not:
update grades g
set course_id = case when data_table.course_id = '-1' then course_id else data_table.course_id end,
student_id = data_table.student_id,
grade = case when data_table.grade = -1 then g.grade else data_table.grade end
from (
select
unnest(array[1,2]) as id,
unnest(array['-1', 'Math2']) as course_id, -- use '-1' instead of g.course_id
unnest(array[1000, 1001]) as student_id,
unnest(array[95, -1]) as grade -- use -1 instead of g.grade
) as data_table
where grades.id = data_table.id
Pick whatever values you like for the impossible value.
If nulls were not allowed it would have been more straightforward and less code - use null for the impossible value and coalesce() in for the update value.