Help Center/ GaussDB(DWS)/ SQL Syntax Reference/ SQL Syntax Reference (9.1.0.x)/ DDL Syntax/ DROP TABLE
Updated on 2025-07-22 GMT+08:00
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DROP TABLE

Function

DROP TABLE deletes a specified table.

Precautions

  • DROP TABLE forcibly deletes a specified table. After a table is deleted, any indexes that exist for the table will be deleted; any functions or stored procedures that use this table cannot be run. Deleting a partitioned table also deletes all partitions in the table.
  • Only the table owner, schema owner, or a user granted with the DROP permission can run DROP TABLE on a table. A system administrator has this permission by default. To delete all the rows in a table but retain the table definition, use TRUNCATE or DELETE.
  • 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

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DROP TABLE [ IF EXISTS ] 
    { [schema.]table_name } [, ...] [ CASCADE | RESTRICT ] ;

Parameter Description

Table 1 DROP TABLE parameters

Parameter

Description

Value Range

IF EXISTS

Reports a notice instead of an error if the specified table does not exist.

-

schema

Name of the schema to which the table to be deleted belongs.

-

table_name

Specifies the name of the table to be deleted.

An existing table name.

CASCADE | RESTRICT

Specifies how to process related data in the dependent object when a delete operation is performed.
  • CASCADE: automatically deletes objects (such as views) that depend on the table to be deleted.
  • RESTRICT (default): refuses to delete the table if any objects depend on it. This is the default.

PURGE

If the Purge parameter is specified, data is directly deleted regardless of whether the recycle bin feature is enabled. This is supported only by clusters of version 9.1.0.200 or later.

-

KEEP ttl HOUR

In V3 tables, enabling the recycle bin feature and setting a TTL allows physical files to be moved to the recycle bin for potential restoration. However, once the TTL expires, the background process automatically clears the objects in the recycle bin. This is supported only by clusters of version 9.1.0.200 or later.

NOTICE:

You are advised to use this parameter in scenarios where the drop and truncate operations are not frequently performed.

-

Examples

Delete the warehouse_t1 table:

1
 
DROP TABLE tpcds.warehouse_t1;

Helpful Links

ALTER TABLE, 12.101-RENAME TABLE, and CREATE TABLE

Parent Topic: DDL Syntax