Update columns in DB2 using randomly chosen static values provided at runtime - sql

Question

I would like to update rows with values chosen randomly from a set of possible values.
Ideally I would be able to provide this values at runtime, using JdbcTemplate from Java application.
Example:
In a table, column "name" can contain any name. The goal is to run through the table and change all names to equal to either "Bob" or "Alice".
I know that this can be done by creating a sql function. I tested it and it was fine but I wonder if it is possible to just use simple query?
This will not work, seems that the value is computed once, and applied to all rows:
UPDATE test.table
SET first_name =
(SELECT a.name
FROM
(SELECT a.name, RAND() idx
FROM (VALUES('Alice'), ('Bob')) AS a(name) ORDER BY idx FETCH FIRST 1 ROW ONLY) as a)
;
I tried using MERGE INTO, but it won't even run (possible_names is not found in SET query). I am yet to figure out why:
MERGE INTO test.table
USING
(SELECT
names.fname
FROM
(VALUES('Alice'), ('Bob'), ('Rob')) AS names(fname)) AS possible_names
ON ( test.table.first_name IS NOT NULL )
WHEN MATCHED THEN
UPDATE SET
-- select random name
first_name = (SELECT fname FROM possible_names ORDER BY idx FETCH FIRST 1 ROW ONLY)
;
EDIT: If possible, I would like to only focus on fields being updated and not depend on knowing primary keys and such.

Answer 1

Db2 seems to be optimizing away the subselect that returns your supposedly random name, materializing it only once, hence all rows in the target table receive the same value.
To force subselect execution for each row you need to somehow correlate it to the table being updated, for example:
UPDATE test.table
SET first_name =
(SELECT a.name
FROM (VALUES('Alice'), ('Bob')) AS a(name)
ORDER BY RAND(ASCII(SUBSTR(first_name, 1, 1)))
FETCH FIRST 1 ROW ONLY)
or may be even
UPDATE test.table
SET first_name =
(SELECT a.name
FROM (VALUES('Alice'), ('Bob')) AS a(name)
ORDER BY first_name, RAND()
FETCH FIRST 1 ROW ONLY)
Now that the result of subselect seems to depend on the value of the corresponding row in the target table, there's no choice but to execute it for each row.

Answer 2

If your table has a primary key, this would work. I've assumed the PK is column id.
UPDATE test.table t
SET first_name =
( SELECT name from
( SELECT *, ROW_NUMBER() OVER(PARTITION BY id ORDER BY R) AS RN FROM
( SELECT *, RAND() R
FROM test.table, TABLE(VALUES('Alice'), ('Bob')) AS d(name)
)
)
AS u
WHERE t.id = u.id and rn = 1
)
;
There might be a nicer/more efficient solution, but I'll leave that to others.
FYI I used the following DDL and data to test the above.
create table test.table(id int not null primary key, first_name varchar(32));
insert into test.table values (1,'Flo'),(2,'Fred'),(3,'Sue'),(4,'John'),(5,'Jim');