Deleting a Table

Creating and Maintaining Databases

Creating and Maintaining Databases

Deleting a Table

At times you need to delete a table (for example, when you want to implement a new design or free up space in the database). When you delete a table, its structural definition, data, full-text indexes, constraints, and indexes are permanently deleted from the database, and the space formerly used to store the table and its indexes is made available for other tables. You can explicitly drop a temporary table if you do not want to wait until it is dropped automatically.

If you need to delete tables that are related through FOREIGN KEY and UNIQUE or PRIMARY KEY constraints, you must delete the tables with the FOREIGN KEY constraints first. If you need to delete a table that is referenced in a FOREIGN KEY constraint but you cannot delete the entire foreign key table, you must delete the FOREIGN KEY constraint.

To delete a table

Transact-SQL

Enterprise Manager

SQL-DMO

To delete a FOREIGN KEY constraint

Transact-SQL

Enterprise Manager

SQL-DMO