Deleting a Database

Function

This statement is used to delete a database.

Syntax

1

DROP [DATABASE | SCHEMA] [IF EXISTS] db_name [RESTRICT|CASCADE];

Keyword

IF EXISTS: Prevents system errors if the database to be deleted does not exist.

Precautions

• DATABASE and SCHEMA can be used interchangeably. You are advised to use DATABASE.
• RESTRICT: If the database is not empty (tables exist), an error is reported and the DROP operation fails. RESTRICT is the default logic.
• CASCADE: Even if the database is not empty (tables exist), the DROP will delete all the tables in the database. Therefore, exercise caution when using this function.

Parameters

Example

1. Create a database, for example, testdb, by referring to Example.
2. Run the following statement to delete database testdb if it exists:

   1	DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS testdb;