Update Multiple Records Efficiently in Laravel Using upsert()

The Problem: Loop-Based Inserts & Updates

In real Laravel applications, handling bulk data often looks like:

foreach ($products as $product) {
    Product::updateOrCreate(
        ['sku' => $product['sku']],
        ['price' => $product['price']]
    );
}

This runs multiple queries → slow and inefficient.

The Better Solution: upsert()

Laravel provides upsert() to handle bulk insert/update in one query.

Product::upsert(
    [
        ['sku' => 'P001', 'price' => 100],
        ['sku' => 'P002', 'price' => 200],
    ],
    ['sku'], // unique column
    ['price'] // columns to update
);

Real Project Example

Imagine syncing products from an external API:

Product::upsert($apiProducts, ['sku'], ['price', 'stock']);

Now:

• New products → inserted
• Existing products → updated
• Only one query executed

Why upsert() Is Powerful

It helps you:

• Reduce database queries
• Improve performance
• Handle bulk data efficiently
• Simplify sync operations

When to Use It

Use upsert() when:

• Syncing external data
• Bulk import/export
• Updating large datasets
• Working with APIs or CSV uploads