Help Center/ Data Warehouse Service / SQL Syntax Reference/ SQL Syntax Reference (9.1.1.x)/ DDL Syntax/ DROP TABLE
Updated on 2025-10-14 GMT+08:00
View PDF
Share

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

1
2
 
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.

Examples

Delete the warehouse_t1 table:

1
 
DROP TABLE tpcds.warehouse_t1;

Helpful Links

ALTER TABLE, 12.101-RENAME TABLE, CREATE TABLE

Parent Topic: DDL Syntax