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TRUNCATE Statement

The TRUNCATE statement is used to remove all records from a table quickly, but the table structure and its schema remain intact. It resets any identity columns to their seed values.

Example: Truncating a Table

TRUNCATE TABLE FreedomFighters;

Output:

All records from FreedomFighters table have been deleted.

Note:

TRUNCATE is faster than DELETE because it does not generate individual row delete operations. However, it does not fire any triggers that might be associated with the table.

Do's and Don'ts

Do's

  • Use TRUNCATE for quick removal of all records when you do not need to fire triggers.
  • Ensure you have a backup if the data is important, as TRUNCATE cannot be rolled back if not used inside a transaction.
  • Be aware of any relationships or dependencies before truncating a table.

Don'ts

  • Don't use TRUNCATE on tables referenced by foreign key constraints.
  • Don't rely on TRUNCATE if you need to trigger actions on row deletion.
  • Don't use TRUNCATE in a production environment without proper caution and backup.
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