The DELETE statement is used to delete records in a table.
The DELETE statement is used to delete rows in a table.
Notice the WHERE clause in the SQL DELETE statement! The WHERE clause specifies which record or records that should be deleted. If you omit the WHERE clause, all records will be deleted! |
In this tutorial we will use the well-known Northwind sample database.
Below is a selection from the "Customers" table:
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 |
Assume we wish to delete the customer "Alfreds Futterkiste" from the "Customers" table.
We use the following SQL statement:
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 |
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:
Note: Be very careful when deleting records. You cannot undo this statement!