MySQL DELETE query
The
DELETE query in MySQL is used to remove rows from a table. This command is vital when you need to remove data that is no longer needed or when you want to clean up records based on specific conditions. The DELETE command is powerful, and it should be used carefully, especially when conditions are applied. Here’s a detailed explanation of the DELETE query:1. Basic Syntax
DELETE FROM table_name
WHERE condition;
table_name: The name of the table from which you want to delete rows.WHERE condition: Specifies which rows should be deleted. If you omit this, all rows in the table will be deleted.
2. Deleting Specific Rows
You can delete specific rows by using the WHERE clause to specify the condition:
DELETE FROM employees
WHERE employee_id = 5;
This query deletes the row where employee_id is 5 from the employees table.
3. Deleting All Rows
If you want to delete all rows from a table, you can omit the WHERE clause:
DELETE FROM employees;
This query removes all rows from the employees table. However, the table structure, column definitions, indexes, and constraints remain intact.