DROP SCHEMA

Function

DROP SCHEMA deletes a schema in a database.

Precautions

• Only the owner of a schema or a user granted with the DROP permission for the schema or a system administrator has the permission to execute the Drop SCHEMA statement.

• Be cautious when using DROP OBJECT (e.g., DATABASE, USER/ROLE, SCHEMA, TABLE, VIEW) as it may cause data loss, especially with CASCADE deletions. Always back up data before proceeding.
• For more information about development and design specifications, see Development and Design Proposal.

Syntax

1

DROP SCHEMA [ IF EXISTS ] schema_name [, ...] [ CASCADE | RESTRICT ];

Parameter Description

• IF EXISTS

  Sends a notice instead of an error if the specified schema does not exist.

• schema_name

  Specifies the name of a schema.

  Value range: An existing schema name.

• CASCADE | RESTRICT
  • CASCADE: automatically deletes all objects that are contained in the schema to be deleted.
  • RESTRICT: refuses to delete the schema that contains any objects. This is the default.

Do not delete the schemas with the beginning of pg_temp or pg_toast_temp. They are internal system schemas, and deleting them may cause unexpected errors.

A user cannot delete the schema in use. To delete the schema in use, switch to another schema.

Example

Delete the ds_new schema:

DROP SCHEMA ds_new;

Links

ALTER SCHEMA, CREATE SCHEMA