SQLDELETE Statement
The SQL DELETE Statement
TheDELETE statement is used to delete existing records in a table.
DELETE Syntax
DELETE FROMtable_nameWHEREcondition;
Note: Be careful when deleting records in a table! Notice theWHERE clause in theDELETE statement.TheWHERE clause specifies which record(s) should be deleted. If you omit theWHERE clause, all records in the table will be deleted!
Demo Database
Below is a selection from theCustomers table used in the examples:
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Obere Str. 57 | Berlin | 12209 | Germany |
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvägen 8 | Luleå | S-958 22 | Sweden |
SQL DELETE Example
The following SQL statement deletes the customer "Alfreds Futterkiste" from the "Customers" table:
Example
The "Customers" table will now look like this:
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 | Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvägen 8 | Luleå | S-958 22 | Sweden |
Delete All Records
It is possible to delete all rows in a table without deleting the table. This means that the table structure, attributes, and indexes will be intact:
DELETE FROMtable_name;
The following SQL statement deletes all rows in the "Customers" table, without deleting the table:
Example
Delete a Table
To delete the table completely, use theDROP TABLE statement:
Example
Remove the Customers table:

