Removes a table.
Synopsis
DROP TABLE [IF EXISTS] <name> [, ...] [CASCADE | RESTRICT]
Description
DROP TABLE removes tables from the database. Only the table owner, the schema owner, and superuser can drop a table. To empty a table of rows without removing the table definition, use DELETE or TRUNCATE.
DROP TABLE always removes any indexes, rules, triggers, and constraints that exist for the target table. However, to drop a table that is referenced by a view, CASCADE must be specified. CASCADE will remove a dependent view entirely.
Parameters
- IF EXISTS
- Do not throw an error if the table does not exist. A notice is issued in this case.
- name
- The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the table to remove.
- CASCADE
- Automatically drop objects that depend on the table (such as views).
- RESTRICT
- Refuse to drop the table if any objects depend on it. This is the default.
Examples
Remove the table mytable:
DROP TABLE mytable;
Compatibility
DROP TABLE is fully conforming with the SQL standard, except that the standard only allows one table to be dropped per command. Also, the IF EXISTS option is a Greenplum Database extension.
See Also
CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE, TRUNCATE
Parent topic: SQL Commands
