> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.omniql.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Delete

> Remove records with DELETE

Remove records using the DELETE operation.

## Basic Syntax

```sql theme={}
:DELETE Entity WHERE condition
:DELETE FROM Entity WHERE condition
```

Both forms are valid. The `FROM` keyword is optional.

## Delete Single Record

```sql theme={}
:DELETE User WHERE id = 1
```

| Database   | Output                           |
| ---------- | -------------------------------- |
| PostgreSQL | `DELETE FROM users WHERE id = 1` |
| MySQL      | `DELETE FROM users WHERE id = 1` |
| MongoDB    | `db.users.deleteOne({ _id: 1 })` |
| Redis      | `DEL users:1`                    |

## Delete with Conditions

```sql theme={}
:DELETE User WHERE status = "inactive" AND last_login < "2023-01-01"
```

| Database   | Output                                                                           |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| PostgreSQL | `DELETE FROM users WHERE status = 'inactive' AND last_login < '2023-01-01'`      |
| MongoDB    | `db.users.deleteMany({ status: 'inactive', last_login: { $lt: '2023-01-01' } })` |

## Delete with IN

```sql theme={}
:DELETE User WHERE id IN (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
```

| Database   | Output                                                   |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| PostgreSQL | `DELETE FROM users WHERE id IN (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)`          |
| MongoDB    | `db.users.deleteMany({ _id: { $in: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] } })` |

## Delete with LIKE

```sql theme={}
:DELETE Log WHERE message LIKE "%debug%"
```

| Database   | Output                                                 |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| PostgreSQL | `DELETE FROM logs WHERE message LIKE '%debug%'`        |
| MongoDB    | `db.logs.deleteMany({ message: { $regex: 'debug' } })` |

## Delete with NULL Check

```sql theme={}
:DELETE User WHERE email IS NULL
```

| Database   | Output                                  |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------- |
| PostgreSQL | `DELETE FROM users WHERE email IS NULL` |
| MongoDB    | `db.users.deleteMany({ email: null })`  |

## Delete with BETWEEN

```sql theme={}
:DELETE Log WHERE created_at BETWEEN "2023-01-01" AND "2023-06-30"
```

| Database   | Output                                                                    |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| PostgreSQL | `DELETE FROM logs WHERE created_at BETWEEN '2023-01-01' AND '2023-06-30'` |

## Complete Examples

### Remove Expired Sessions

```sql theme={}
:DELETE Session WHERE expires_at < "2024-01-15T00:00:00Z"
```

### Clean Up Old Logs

```sql theme={}
:DELETE Log WHERE created_at < "2023-01-01" AND level = "debug"
```

### Remove Unverified Users

```sql theme={}
:DELETE User WHERE verified = false AND created_at < "2023-12-01"
```

### Cancel Abandoned Orders

```sql theme={}
:DELETE Order WHERE status = "pending" AND created_at < "2024-01-01"
```

### Remove Test Data

```sql theme={}
:DELETE User WHERE email LIKE "%@test.com"
```

## Soft Delete Alternative

Instead of deleting, consider soft delete:

```sql theme={}
-- Soft delete (recommended)
:UPDATE User SET deleted_at:"2024-01-15T10:30:00Z", active:false WHERE id = 1

-- Hard delete (permanent)
:DELETE User WHERE id = 1
```

## Truncate

Remove all records from a table. Both syntaxes work:

```sql theme={}
:TRUNCATE Log
:TRUNCATE TABLE Log
```

| Database   | Output                   |
| ---------- | ------------------------ |
| PostgreSQL | `TRUNCATE TABLE logs`    |
| MySQL      | `TRUNCATE TABLE logs`    |
| MongoDB    | `db.logs.deleteMany({})` |

**Warning:** TRUNCATE removes ALL records and cannot be rolled back in most databases.

## Warning

Always include a WHERE clause to avoid deleting all records accidentally.

```sql theme={}
-- DANGEROUS: Deletes ALL users
:DELETE User

-- SAFE: Deletes specific user
:DELETE User WHERE id = 1
```

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Create Tables" icon="table" href="/schema/tables">
    Define your schema
  </Card>

  <Card title="Transactions" icon="arrows-rotate" href="/control/transactions">
    Group operations safely
  </Card>
</CardGroup>