---
title: "Implementing MERGE Functionality | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "06/13/2017"
ms.prod: "sql-server-2014"
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: in-memory-oltp
ms.topic: conceptual
ms.assetid: d4bcdc36-3302-4abc-9b35-64ec2b920986
author: MightyPen
ms.author: genemi
manager: craigg
---
# Implementing MERGE Functionality
  A database may need to perform either an insert of an update, depending on whether a particular row already exists in the database.  
  
 Without using the `MERGE` statement, the following is one approach you can use in [!INCLUDE[tsql](../../includes/tsql-md.md)]:  
  
```sql  
UPDATE mytable SET col=@somevalue WHERE myPK = @parm  
IF @@ROWCOUNT = 0  
    INSERT mytable (columns) VALUES (@parm, @other values)  
```  
  
 Another [!INCLUDE[tsql](../../includes/tsql-md.md)] method to implement a merge:  
  
```sql  
IF EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM mytable WHERE myPK = @parm)  
    UPDATE....  
ELSE  
    INSERT  
```  
  
 For a natively compiled stored procedure  
  
```sql  
DECLARE @i  int  = 0  -- or whatever your PK data type is  
UPDATE mytable SET @i=myPK, othercolums = other values WHERE myPK = @parm  
IF @i = 0  
   INSERT....  
```  
  
## See Also  
 [Migration Issues for Natively Compiled Stored Procedures](migration-issues-for-natively-compiled-stored-procedures.md)   
 [Transact-SQL Constructs Not Supported by In-Memory OLTP](transact-sql-constructs-not-supported-by-in-memory-oltp.md)