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Delete Data

DELETE removes rows from a table.

Like UPDATE, safety depends on your WHERE clause.

Core Concepts​

flowchart TD
  A[DELETE FROM table] --> B{WHERE condition present?}
  B -->|Yes| C[Matching rows removed]
  B -->|No| D[All rows removed]
StatementEffect
DELETE FROM logs WHERE id = 10;Removes one matching row
DELETE FROM logs;Removes all rows

Code Examples​

-- Setup sample table and rows.
CREATE TABLE sessions (
  session_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  user_name  TEXT NOT NULL,
  expired    INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0
);

INSERT INTO sessions (user_name, expired)
VALUES ('Ada', 0), ('Alan', 1), ('Linus', 1);
Expected output
Table created and three rows inserted.
-- Delete only expired sessions.
DELETE FROM sessions
WHERE expired = 1;
Expected output
Two rows deleted.
-- Verify remaining rows.
SELECT session_id, user_name, expired
FROM sessions;
session_iduser_nameexpired
1Ada0

SQLite-Specific Nuances​

SQLite Nuance

SQLite supports DELETE ... WHERE ... and full-table delete behavior like other SQL databases.

Common Pitfalls / Best Practices​

Pitfall

Executing DELETE FROM table; when you meant to remove only a subset.

Best Practice

Use a SELECT with the same filter first, then run DELETE once the row set is confirmed.

Quick Challenge​

Delete sessions for user Ada only.

View Solution
DELETE FROM sessions
WHERE user_name = 'Ada';
Expected output
Exactly one row is removed.