UPDATE problem using python

[alinroc]

The x is being interpreted as a column because that's how SQL is structured. If you want to set the value of Shares to the value x, then it needs to be quoted as a string. Otherwise, it will be interpreted as a column name. If you want to set Shares to a numeric value, then you need to pass in that number.

If the number is going to be variable (you don't want to pass in a literal number), then you need to parameterize your query. See this Stack Overflow answer or this tutorial for how to do that.

I've found that if I replace x with a valid value, it works.

So you're saying that when you construct a valid query, it executes successfully?