I want to use CASE statement to update some records in sql server 2005

Question

UPDATE dbo.TestStudents  
SET LASTNAME = 
( CASE  
WHEN (LASTNAME = 'AAA') THEN 'BBB' 
WHEN (LASTNAME = 'CCC') THEN 'DDD' 
WHEN (LASTNAME = 'EEE') THEN 'FFF' 
ELSE  (LASTNAME)
END )

The statement serves its function, but the else condition scans every table row. Can I leave the unaffected rows alone in any way?

Answer 1

Add a WHERE clause:

UPDATE dbo.TestStudents  
SET     LASTNAME =  CASE  
                        WHEN LASTNAME = 'AAA' THEN 'BBB' 
                        WHEN LASTNAME = 'CCC' THEN 'DDD' 
                        WHEN LASTNAME = 'EEE' THEN 'FFF' 
                        ELSE LASTNAME
                    END 
WHERE   LASTNAME IN ('AAA', 'CCC', 'EEE')

I hope this helps you.