Update Multiple Items in DynamoDB Using Java (Guide w/ Code Examples)

BatchWriteItem cannot update attributes. Send an UpdateItem request for each complete key, or use TransactWriteItems when the changes must succeed or fail together.

This example uses Java 17+ and the software.amazon.awssdk:dynamodb SDK 2.x dependency. Configure an AWS Region and credentials through your usual AWS profile or runtime role. The Orders table has String keys pk and sk; adapt the table and keys to your schema.

import java.util.*;
import software.amazon.awssdk.services.dynamodb.DynamoDbClient;
import software.amazon.awssdk.services.dynamodb.model.*;

public class Example {
    static AttributeValue s(String value) { return AttributeValue.builder().s(value).build(); }
    static Map<String, AttributeValue> key(String order) {
        return Map.of("pk", s("CUSTOMER#123"), "sk", s(order));
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {
        try (DynamoDbClient ddb = DynamoDbClient.create()) {
            for (String order : List.of("ORDER#001", "ORDER#002")) {
                ddb.updateItem(UpdateItemRequest.builder().tableName("Orders")
                    .key(key(order)).updateExpression("SET #status = :status")
                    .conditionExpression("attribute_exists(pk)")
                    .expressionAttributeNames(Map.of("#status", "status"))
                    .expressionAttributeValues(Map.of(":status", s("SHIPPED"))).build());
            }
        }
    }
}

The loop is not atomic: earlier updates remain committed if a later one fails. Record progress and choose retry behavior for the business operation.

Reference: AWS UpdateItem API. For related access patterns, see DynamoDB query examples.