The DELETE statement is used to delete records in a table.
The SQL DELETE Statement
The DELETE statement is used to delete rows in a table.
SQL DELETE Syntax
DELETE FROM table_name
WHERE some_column=some_value;
Notice the WHERE clause in the SQL DELETE statement!
The WHERE clause specifies which record or records that should be deleted. If
you omit the WHERE clause, all records will be deleted!
Demo Database
In this tutorial we will use the well-known Northwind sample database.
Below is a selection from the "Customers" table:
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Obere Str. 57 | Berlin | 12209 | Germany |
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitucion 2222 | Mexico D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taqueria | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | Mexico D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 |
Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbkop | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvagen 8 | Lulea | S-958 22 | Sweden |
SQL DELETE Example
Assume we wish to delete the customer "Alfreds Futterkiste" from the "Customers" table.
We use the following SQL statement:
Example
DELETE FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName='Alfreds Futterkiste' AND ContactName='Maria Anders';
Try it Yourself »
The "Customers" table will now look like this:
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitucion 2222 | Mexico D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taqueria | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | Mexico D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 |
Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbkop | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvagen 8 | Lulea | S-958 22 | Sweden |
Delete All Data
It is possible to delete all rows in a table without deleting the table. This means that the table structure, attributes, and indexes will be intact:
DELETE FROM table_name;
or
DELETE * FROM table_name;
Note: Be very careful when deleting records. You cannot undo this statement!