SQL TutorialLesson 13Free preview

SQL Delete

This lesson is part of SQL · All levels

Summary

DELETE FROM is used to delete a row of data from a table. Just like UPDATE, the WHERE clause is essential so that only the desired row is deleted; without WHERE the entire table contents are deleted. To delete the entire structure of the table and its data, use DROP TABLE, not DELETE.

Key points

Structure: DELETE from the WHERE condition table;
Without WHERE it would delete all the rows in the table.
DELETE deletes the data row, not the column or table.
TRUNCATE TABLE deletes all lines quickly without being able to filter.
Because of its destructive nature, DELETE should be tested with SELECT and backed up.

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