diff --git a/lib/destination/dml/columns.go b/lib/destination/dml/columns.go
index f70f0bcfe..843a8f310 100644
--- a/lib/destination/dml/columns.go
+++ b/lib/destination/dml/columns.go
@@ -25,12 +25,13 @@ func buildColumnsUpdateFragment(columns []columns.Column, dialect sql.Dialect, s
 
 		colName := dialect.QuoteIdentifier(column.Name())
 		if column.ToastColumn {
+			var colValue string
 			if column.KindDetails == typing.Struct {
-				cols = append(cols, processToastStructCol(colName, dialect))
+				colValue = processToastStructCol(colName, dialect)
 			} else {
-				cols = append(cols, processToastCol(colName, dialect))
+				colValue = processToastCol(colName, dialect)
 			}
-
+			cols = append(cols, fmt.Sprintf("%s= %s", colName, colValue))
 		} else {
 			// This is to make it look like: objCol = cc.objCol
 			cols = append(cols, fmt.Sprintf("%s=cc.%s", colName, colName))
@@ -43,30 +44,30 @@ func buildColumnsUpdateFragment(columns []columns.Column, dialect sql.Dialect, s
 func processToastStructCol(colName string, dialect sql.Dialect) string {
 	switch dialect.(type) {
 	case sql.BigQueryDialect:
-		return fmt.Sprintf(`%s= CASE WHEN COALESCE(TO_JSON_STRING(cc.%s) != '{"key":"%s"}', true) THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END`,
-			colName, colName, constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder,
+		return fmt.Sprintf(`CASE WHEN COALESCE(TO_JSON_STRING(cc.%s) != '{"key":"%s"}', true) THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END`,
+			colName, constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder,
 			colName, colName)
 	case sql.RedshiftDialect:
-		return fmt.Sprintf(`%s= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.%s != JSON_PARSE('{"key":"%s"}'), true) THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END`,
-			colName, colName, constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder, colName, colName)
+		return fmt.Sprintf(`CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.%s != JSON_PARSE('{"key":"%s"}'), true) THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END`,
+			colName, constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder, colName, colName)
 	case sql.MSSQLDialect:
 		// Microsoft SQL Server doesn't allow boolean expressions to be in the COALESCE statement.
-		return fmt.Sprintf("%s= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.%s, {}) != {'key': '%s'} THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END",
-			colName, colName, constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder, colName, colName)
+		return fmt.Sprintf("CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.%s, {}) != {'key': '%s'} THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END",
+			colName, constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder, colName, colName)
 	default:
 		// TODO: Change this to Snowflake and error out if the destKind isn't supported so we're explicit.
-		return fmt.Sprintf("%s= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.%s != {'key': '%s'}, true) THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END",
-			colName, colName, constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder, colName, colName)
+		return fmt.Sprintf("CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.%s != {'key': '%s'}, true) THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END",
+			colName, constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder, colName, colName)
 	}
 }
 
 func processToastCol(colName string, dialect sql.Dialect) string {
 	if _, ok := dialect.(sql.MSSQLDialect); ok {
 		// Microsoft SQL Server doesn't allow boolean expressions to be in the COALESCE statement.
-		return fmt.Sprintf("%s= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.%s, '') != '%s' THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END", colName, colName,
+		return fmt.Sprintf("CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.%s, '') != '%s' THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END", colName,
 			constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder, colName, colName)
 	} else {
-		return fmt.Sprintf("%s= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.%s != '%s', true) THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END",
-			colName, colName, constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder, colName, colName)
+		return fmt.Sprintf("CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.%s != '%s', true) THEN cc.%s ELSE c.%s END",
+			colName, constants.ToastUnavailableValuePlaceholder, colName, colName)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/lib/destination/dml/columns_toast_test.go b/lib/destination/dml/columns_toast_test.go
index ff98b7b4b..a98c9d879 100644
--- a/lib/destination/dml/columns_toast_test.go
+++ b/lib/destination/dml/columns_toast_test.go
@@ -8,15 +8,15 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestProcessToastStructCol(t *testing.T) {
-	assert.Equal(t, `foo= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.foo != JSON_PARSE('{"key":"__debezium_unavailable_value"}'), true) THEN cc.foo ELSE c.foo END`, processToastStructCol("foo", sql.RedshiftDialect{}))
-	assert.Equal(t, `foo= CASE WHEN COALESCE(TO_JSON_STRING(cc.foo) != '{"key":"__debezium_unavailable_value"}', true) THEN cc.foo ELSE c.foo END`, processToastStructCol("foo", sql.BigQueryDialect{}))
-	assert.Equal(t, `foo= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.foo != {'key': '__debezium_unavailable_value'}, true) THEN cc.foo ELSE c.foo END`, processToastStructCol("foo", sql.SnowflakeDialect{}))
-	assert.Equal(t, `foo= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.foo, {}) != {'key': '__debezium_unavailable_value'} THEN cc.foo ELSE c.foo END`, processToastStructCol("foo", sql.MSSQLDialect{}))
+	assert.Equal(t, `CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.foo != JSON_PARSE('{"key":"__debezium_unavailable_value"}'), true) THEN cc.foo ELSE c.foo END`, processToastStructCol("foo", sql.RedshiftDialect{}))
+	assert.Equal(t, `CASE WHEN COALESCE(TO_JSON_STRING(cc.foo) != '{"key":"__debezium_unavailable_value"}', true) THEN cc.foo ELSE c.foo END`, processToastStructCol("foo", sql.BigQueryDialect{}))
+	assert.Equal(t, `CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.foo != {'key': '__debezium_unavailable_value'}, true) THEN cc.foo ELSE c.foo END`, processToastStructCol("foo", sql.SnowflakeDialect{}))
+	assert.Equal(t, `CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.foo, {}) != {'key': '__debezium_unavailable_value'} THEN cc.foo ELSE c.foo END`, processToastStructCol("foo", sql.MSSQLDialect{}))
 }
 
 func TestProcessToastCol(t *testing.T) {
-	assert.Equal(t, `bar= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.bar != '__debezium_unavailable_value', true) THEN cc.bar ELSE c.bar END`, processToastCol("bar", sql.RedshiftDialect{}))
-	assert.Equal(t, `bar= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.bar != '__debezium_unavailable_value', true) THEN cc.bar ELSE c.bar END`, processToastCol("bar", sql.BigQueryDialect{}))
-	assert.Equal(t, `bar= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.bar != '__debezium_unavailable_value', true) THEN cc.bar ELSE c.bar END`, processToastCol("bar", sql.SnowflakeDialect{}))
-	assert.Equal(t, `bar= CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.bar, '') != '__debezium_unavailable_value' THEN cc.bar ELSE c.bar END`, processToastCol("bar", sql.MSSQLDialect{}))
+	assert.Equal(t, `CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.bar != '__debezium_unavailable_value', true) THEN cc.bar ELSE c.bar END`, processToastCol("bar", sql.RedshiftDialect{}))
+	assert.Equal(t, `CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.bar != '__debezium_unavailable_value', true) THEN cc.bar ELSE c.bar END`, processToastCol("bar", sql.BigQueryDialect{}))
+	assert.Equal(t, `CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.bar != '__debezium_unavailable_value', true) THEN cc.bar ELSE c.bar END`, processToastCol("bar", sql.SnowflakeDialect{}))
+	assert.Equal(t, `CASE WHEN COALESCE(cc.bar, '') != '__debezium_unavailable_value' THEN cc.bar ELSE c.bar END`, processToastCol("bar", sql.MSSQLDialect{}))
 }