Delete Data (DELETE)

The Delete operation in CRUD is performed using the DELETE statement in SQL. It is used to remove one or more existing records from a table.

Database Preparation

Run this block to set up the Books table.

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS Books;

CREATE TABLE Books (
    BookID INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
    Title VARCHAR(255),
    Genre VARCHAR(50)
);

INSERT INTO Books (BookID, Title, Genre)
VALUES (1, 'The Hobbit', 'Fantasy'),
       (2, '1984', 'Dystopian'),
       (3, 'The Fellowship of the Ring', 'Fantasy'),
       (4, 'Dune', 'Sci-Fi');

SELECT * FROM Books;

DELETE Statement

The DELETE statement is used to delete existing records in a table.

Syntax

DELETE FROM table_name WHERE condition;

Caution: The WHERE clause is extremely important. If you omit it, all records in the table will be deleted! This action cannot be undone.

Example

Operation: Delete the book with BookID 4 from the Books table.
Books Table Before:

DELETE FROM Books WHERE BookID = 4;

-- Check the result
SELECT * FROM Books;

Books Table After:

Hands-on Exercise

Task: Delete the book with BookID 1 from the Books table.

Your Query:

-- Write your query here

Expected Results: