DROP TABLE

Applies to: Databricks SQL Databricks Runtime

Deletes the table and removes the directory associated with the table from the file system if the table is not EXTERNAL table. An exception is thrown if the table does not exist. To drop a table you must have the MANAGE privilege on the table, be its owner, or the owner of the schema, catalog, or metastore the table resides in.

In case of an external table, only the associated metadata information is removed from the metastore schema.

Any foreign key constraints referencing the table are also dropped.

If the table is cached, the command uncaches the table and all its dependents.

Note

When a managed table is dropped from Unity Catalog, its underlying data is deleted from your cloud tenant within 30 days.

Syntax

DROP TABLE [ IF EXISTS ] table_name

Parameter

• IF EXISTS

  If specified, no TABLE_OR_VIEW_NOT_FOUND error is thrown when the table does not exist.

• table_name

  The name of the table to be dropped. The name must not include a temporal specification or options specification. If the table cannot be found Azure Databricks raises a TABLE_OR_VIEW_NOT_FOUND error.

Examples

-- Assumes a table named `employeetable` exists.
> DROP TABLE employeetable;

-- Assumes a table named `employeetable` exists in the `userdb` schema
> DROP TABLE userdb.employeetable;

-- Assumes a table named `employeetable` does not exist.
-- Throws TABLE_OR_VIEW_NOT_FOUND
> DROP TABLE employeetable;
  Error: TABLE_OR_VIEW_NOT_FOUND

-- Assumes a table named `employeetable` does not exist,Try with IF EXISTS
-- this time it will not throw exception
> DROP TABLE IF EXISTS employeetable;

Related articles

• CREATE TABLE
• CREATE SCHEMA
• DROP SCHEMA
• UNDROP TABLE