What happens if you stop the application server then perform the update?
I would be remiss in not stating that updating the database directly is not recommended.
Apologies on this next bit if you are a seasoned DBA…
If you are applying updates to another database perhaps, it is good practice to do it, wrapped in a transaction.
e.g.
Begin Tran
SQL code here
then either using ROLLBACK , if for some reason your update changed the wrong data, or COMMIT if you are 100% sure the change you put in worked in correct fashion. Remember if you leave the transaction in an uncommitted state, you can view the changes with a SELECT, but the table will appear blocked to connections/users.
Here’s a more detailed link about transactions: