DROP TABLE

Applies to: check marked yes Databricks SQL check marked yes 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

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;