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DELETE

The DELETE statement is used to delete existing records in a table. This is a straightforward process, but care must be taken because the DELETE statement is destructive and cannot be undone by default.

Syntax​

The basic syntax of a DELETE query with WHERE clause in SQL is as follows:

DELETE FROM table_name [WHERE condition]
  • table_name: Specifies the table where you want to delete data.
  • WHERE condition: It is optional. You can use the WHERE clause with a DELETE query to delete the selected rows, otherwise all the records would be deleted.

Examples​

  1. DELETE ALL Rows

Deletes all rows from a table named 'students'.

DELETE FROM students;
  1. DELETE Specified Rows

Deletes the student whose student_id is '1001' from the 'students' table.

DELETE FROM students WHERE student_id = '1001';

Caution: Be very careful when using the DELETE statement. If you omit the WHERE clause, all records will be deleted!

Multi-table deletions​

Some database systems allow for deleting from multiple tables in a single DELETE statement. This is database-specific and beyond the scope of the basic SQL DELETE command.

Remember, always make sure to have a backup and confirm you're deleting the correct data before running a DELETE command, especially in production environments.