SQL DROP TABLE Statement

In SQL, DROP TABLE is used to delete the tables in our database. For example,

DROP TABLE my_table;

Here, the SQL command will delete a table named my_table.

Also make sure you have admin or DROP permission to run this command.

Note: When we delete a database table, all records within a table are also deleted.

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS

While dropping a table that does not exist, throws an error. To fix this issue, we can add an optional IF EXISTS command while dropping a table. For example,

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS my_table;

Here, the SQL command will only drop a table if there is one with a same name.

Recommended Reading

• SQL Delete and Truncate Rows
• SQL CREATE TABLE
• SQL ALTER TABLE