diff --git a/db/view/view.cc b/db/view/view.cc
index 4819faba01..dac81cb44d 100644
--- a/db/view/view.cc
+++ b/db/view/view.cc
@@ -163,6 +163,7 @@ public:
         });
     }
 
+    void generate_update(const partition_key& base_key, const clustering_row& update, const stdx::optional<clustering_row>& existing, gc_clock::time_point now);
 private:
     mutation_partition& partition_for(partition_key&& key) {
         auto it = _updates.find(key);
@@ -364,6 +365,63 @@ void view_updates::update_entry(const partition_key& base_key, const clustering_
     add_cells_to_view(*_base, *_view->schema(), diff, r.cells());
 }
 
+void view_updates::generate_update(
+        const partition_key& base_key,
+        const clustering_row& update,
+        const stdx::optional<clustering_row>& existing,
+        gc_clock::time_point now) {
+    // Note that the base PK columns in update and existing are the same, since we're intrinsically dealing
+    // with the same base row. So we have to check 3 things:
+    //   1) that the clustering key doesn't have a null, which can happen for compact tables. If that's the case,
+    //      there is no corresponding entries.
+    //   2) if there is a column not part of the base PK in the view PK, whether it is changed by the update.
+    //   3) whether the update actually matches the view SELECT filter
+
+    if (!update.key().is_full(*_base)) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    auto* col = _view->base_non_pk_column_in_view_pk();
+    if (!col) {
+        // The view key is necessarily the same pre and post update.
+        if (existing && !existing->empty()) {
+            if (update.empty()) {
+                delete_old_entry(base_key, *existing, now);
+            } else {
+                update_entry(base_key, update, *existing, now);
+            }
+        }  else if (!update.empty()) {
+            create_entry(base_key, update, now);
+        }
+        return;
+    }
+
+    auto col_id = col->id;
+    auto* after = update.cells().find_cell(col_id);
+    if (existing) {
+        auto* before = existing->cells().find_cell(col_id);
+        if (before) {
+            if (after) {
+                // Note: multi-cell columns can't be part of the primary key.
+                auto cmp = compare_atomic_cell_for_merge(before->as_atomic_cell(), after->as_atomic_cell());
+                if (cmp == 0) {
+                    replace_entry(base_key, update, *existing, now);
+                } else {
+                    update_entry(base_key, update, *existing, now);
+                }
+            } else {
+                delete_old_entry(base_key, *existing, now);
+            }
+            return;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // No existing row or the cell wasn't live
+    if (after) {
+        create_entry(base_key, update, now);
+    }
+}
+
 } // namespace view
 } // namespace db