To change data (perform an INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE) you use the executeUpdate() method. This method is similar to the method executeQuery() used to issue a SELECT statement, but it doesn't return a ResultSet; instead it returns the number of rows affected by the INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE statement. Example 5.1, “Deleting Rows in JDBC” illustrates the usage.
Example 5.1. Deleting Rows in JDBC
This example will issue a simple DELETE statement and print out the number of rows deleted.
int foovalue = 500;
PreparedStatement st = db.prepareStatement("DELETE FROM mytable WHERE columnfoo = ?");
st.setInt(1, foovalue);
int rowsDeleted = st.executeUpdate();
System.out.println(rowsDeleted + " rows deleted");
st.close();