Deleting Existing Data

The DELETE statement is used to delete existing rows of data from a database. Listing 4.6 shows the basic structure of the DELETE statement.

Listing 4.6. The Basic Structure of the DELETE Statement
DELETE
    [ FROM ]
        { table_name WITH ( < table_hint_limited > [ ...n ] )
         | view_name
         | rowset_function_limited
        }

        [ FROM {  < table_source > }  [ ,...n ] ]
    [ WHERE
        {  < search_condition >
        | {  [ CURRENT OF
                {  {  [ GLOBAL ] cursor_name }
                    | cursor_variable_name
                }
            ] }
        }
    ]
    [ OPTION ( < query_hint > [ ,...n ] ) ]

The DELETE statement will completely wipe out a row, so be careful! If you accidentally ran the statement DELETE Products, every row in the Products table would be deleted. Use the following DELETE statement to delete the row you ...

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