SQL DELETE Statement

What Does the DELETE Statement Do?

The DELETE statement removes one or more rows from a table. It's powerful — and potentially dangerous — especially if you forget to use a WHERE clause.

DELETE Syntax

DELETE FROM table_name
WHERE condition;

Note: Without a WHERE clause, every row will be deleted!

Delete a Specific Row

-- Remove a specific user
DELETE FROM Users
WHERE user_id = 101;

Delete Based on a Condition

-- Delete videos with zero views
DELETE FROM Videos
WHERE views = 0;

Delete All Rows

-- Dangerous! Deletes all data in the table
DELETE FROM Interactions;

⚠️ If you want a full wipe, consider TRUNCATE TABLE — it's faster and doesn't log each row.

Best Practices for DELETE

Always use WHERE to avoid unintentional full wipes
Preview rows with SELECT before deleting
Use transactions so you can rollback if needed
Log deletions in an audit table for traceability
Test delete queries in a dev/staging environment first

SQL Learning

SQL Learning

SQL DELETE Statement

What Does the DELETE Statement Do?

DELETE Syntax

Delete a Specific Row

Delete Based on a Condition

Delete All Rows

Best Practices for DELETE

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Related Topics

Data Modification Overview

INSERT Statement

UPDATE Statement