The generic function update-record-from-slot updates an individual data item in the column represented by slot. The database is only used if instance is not yet associated with any database, in which case a record is created in database. Only slot is initialized in this case; other columns in the underlying database receive default values. The argument slot is the CLOS slot name; the corresponding column names are derived from the View Class definition.
LispWorks User Guide and Reference Manual - 20 Sep 2017