DROP TABLE

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 removes a dependent view entirely.

Parameters

IF EXISTS: Do not throw an error if the table does not exist. Greenplum Database issues a notice 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), and in turn all objects that depend on those objects.
RESTRICT: Refuse to drop the table if any objects depend on it. This is the default.

Examples

Remove the table mytable:

DROP TABLE mytable;

Remove two tables, films and distributors:

DROP TABLE films, distributors;

Compatibility

DROP TABLE conforms to the SQL standard, except that the standard allows only one table to be dropped per command. Also, the IF EXISTS option is a Greenplum Database extension.