MySQL + SQL · Lesson 36

DROP, TRUNCATE and DELETE Difference

Three Ways to Remove Data

These three look similar but behave very differently — a favourite exam question.

The Difference

Point	DELETE	TRUNCATE	DROP
Removes	chosen rows	all rows	whole table
WHERE allowed?	Yes	No	No
Structure kept?	Yes	Yes	No
Type	DML	DDL	DDL
Rollback?	Possible	No	No

Examples

DELETE FROM students WHERE marks < 33;  -- some rows
TRUNCATE TABLE students;                -- all rows, keep table
DROP TABLE students;                    -- table gone

Summary

DELETE = selected rows (with WHERE), can rollback.
TRUNCATE = all rows, keeps structure, faster.
DROP = removes the table entirely.

Point	DELETE	TRUNCATE	DROP
हटाता है	चुनी rows	सारी rows	पूरी table
WHERE allowed?	हाँ	नहीं	नहीं
Structure रहती?	हाँ	हाँ	नहीं
Type	DML	DDL	DDL
Rollback?	संभव	नहीं	नहीं

DROP, TRUNCATE and DELETE Difference

Three Ways to Remove Data

The Difference

Examples

Summary

Data हटाने के तीन तरीके

अंतर

Examples

सारांश