MySQL DELETE

The MySQL DELETE Statement

The DELETE statement is used to delete existing records in a table.

DELETE Syntax

DELETE FROM table_name WHERE condition;

Note: Be careful when deleting records in a table! Notice the WHERE clause in the DELETE statement. The WHERE clause specifies which record(s) should be deleted. If you omit the WHERE clause, all records in the table will be deleted!

Demo Database

Below is a selection from the "Customers" table in the Northwind sample database:

SQL DELETE Example

The following SQL deletes the customer "Alfreds Futterkiste" from the "Customers" table:

Example

DELETE FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName='Alfreds Futterkiste';

The "Customers" table will now look like this:

Delete All Records

It is possible to delete all records in a table, without deleting the table. This means that the table structure, attributes, and indexes will be intact.

DELETE FROM table_name;

The following SQL deletes ALL records in the "Customers" table, without deleting the table:

Example

DELETE FROM Customers;

Delete a Table

To delete the table completely, use the DROP TABLE statement:

DROP TABLE table_name;

The following SQL drops the entire "Customers" table:

Example

DROP TABLE Customers;