TRUNCATE

SQL - Language Statements

TRUNCATE

empty a table

1999-07-20

    TRUNCATE [ TABLE ] name

1998-09-08

## Inputs

`name`

- The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the table to be truncated.

1998-09-08

## Outputs

`TRUNCATE TABLE`

- Message returned if the table is successfully truncated.

1998-09-08

## Description

`TRUNCATE` quickly removes all rows from a table. It has the same effect as an unqualified `DELETE` but since it does not actually scan the table it is faster. This is most useful on large tables.

`TRUNCATE` cannot be executed inside a transaction block (`BEGIN`/`COMMIT` pair), because there is no way to roll it back.

## Usage

Truncate the table `bigtable`:

    TRUNCATE TABLE bigtable;

## Compatibility

1998-09-08

### SQL92

There is no `TRUNCATE` in SQL92.