Name
DROP TABLE
Syntax
DROP TABLE [IF EXISTS]name[,name2, ...] [RESTRICT | CASCADE]
Description
Will erase an entire table permanently. In the current
implementation, MySQL simply deletes the files associated with the
table. As of 3.22, you may specify IF EXISTS to
make MySQL not return an error if you attempt to remove a table that
does not exist. The RESTRICT and
CASCADE keywords do nothing; they exist solely for
ANSI compatibility. You must have DELETE
privileges on the table to use this statement.
Warning
DROP is by far the most dangerous SQL statement.
If you have drop privileges, you may permanently erase a table or
even an entire database. This is done without warning or
confirmation. The only way to undo a DROP is to
restore the table or database from backups. The lessons to be learned
here are: (1) always keep backups; (2) don’t use
DROP unless you are really sure; and (3) always
keep backups.
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