How to test an SQL Update statement before running it?

Question

In some cases, running an UPDATE statement in production can save the day. However a borked update can be worse than the initial problem.

Short of using a test datab

Answer 1

Not a direct answer, but I've seen many borked prod data situations that could have been avoided by typing the WHERE clause first! Sometimes a WHERE 1 = 0 can help with putting a working statement together safely too. And looking at an estimated execution plan, which will estimate rows affected, can be useful. Beyond that, in a transaction that you roll back as others have said.