PostgreSQL 8.0.0rc2 Documentation
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# DELETE

## Name

DELETE -- delete rows of a table

## Synopsis

    DELETE FROM [ ONLY ] table [ WHERE condition ]

## Description

`DELETE` deletes rows that satisfy the `WHERE` clause from the specified table. If the `WHERE` clause is absent, the effect is to delete all rows in the table. The result is a valid, but empty table.

> Tip: TRUNCATE is a PostgreSQL extension which provides a faster mechanism to remove all rows from a table.

By default, `DELETE` will delete rows in the specified table and all its subtables. If you wish to only delete from the specific table mentioned, you must use the `ONLY` clause.

You must have the `DELETE` privilege on the table to delete from it, as well as the `SELECT` privilege for any table whose values are read in the condition.

## Parameters

table

  The name (optionally schema-qualified) of an existing table.

condition

  A value expression that returns a value of type `boolean` that determines the rows which are to be deleted.

## Outputs

On successful completion, a `DELETE` command returns a command tag of the form

    DELETE count

The count is the number of rows deleted. If count is 0, no rows matched the condition (this is not considered an error).

## Examples

Delete all films but musicals:

    DELETE FROM films WHERE kind <> 'Musical';

Clear the table `films`:

    DELETE FROM films;

## Compatibility

This command conforms to the SQL standard.

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