DROP TABLE

Function

DROP TABLE deletes a specified table.

Precautions

• 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.
• 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.

• 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

• IF EXISTS

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

• schema

  Specifies the schema name.

• table_name

  Specifies the name of the table.

• CASCADE | RESTRICT
  • 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.

Example

Delete the warehouse_t1 table:

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DROP TABLE tpcds.warehouse_t1;

Helpful Links

ALTER TABLE, 12.101-RENAME TABLE, and CREATE TABLE