When you have just broken something.
STOP IMMEDIATELY
Do not run anything else. Further changes make recovery harder.
THERE IS NO UNDO
SQL does not have one. Once an UPDATE or DELETE commits, the previous values are gone.
WHAT YOU HAVE
Your backup, if you took one before the change. This is why that habit matters.
Server-side restore points, where your plan includes them.
RESTORING ONE TABLE
If you damaged one table, restore only that table rather than the whole database.
Import the backup into a separate database, then copy the table across.
That preserves everything else that has happened since.
CHECKING THE DAMAGE FIRST
phpMyAdmin reports how many rows were affected. That number tells you the scale.
If it says one and you expected one, nothing is wrong.
IF YOU HAVE NO BACKUP
Check server-side restore points immediately. Retention is finite and speed matters.
THE LESSON
Export the table before any write query. Thirty seconds, every time.
