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doc/src/sgml/ref/drop_external_table.sgml
PostgreSQL documentation
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<refentry id="sql-dropexternaltable">
 <indexterm zone="sql-dropexternaltable">
  <primary>DROP EXTERNAL TABLE</primary>
 </indexterm>

 <refmeta>
  <refentrytitle>DROP EXTERNAL TABLE</refentrytitle>
  <manvolnum>7</manvolnum>
  <refmiscinfo>SQL - Language Statements</refmiscinfo>
 </refmeta>

 <refnamediv>
  <refname>DROP EXTERNAL TABLE</refname>
  <refpurpose>remove an external table definition</refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>

 <refsynopsisdiv>
<synopsis>
DROP EXTERNAL [WEB] TABLE [ IF EXISTS ] <replaceable class="PARAMETER">name</replaceable> [ CASCADE | RESTRICT ]
</synopsis>
 </refsynopsisdiv>
 
 <refsect1>
  <title>Description</title>

  <para>
   <command>DROP EXTERNAL TABLE</command> drops an existing external table 
   definition from the database. The external data source files are not 
   deleted — they will remain on disk. To execute this command you must 
   be the owner of the external table.
  </para>
 </refsect1>
  
 <refsect1>
  <title>Parameters</title>

  <variablelist>
   <varlistentry>
    <term><literal>IF EXISTS</literal></term>
    <listitem>
     <para>
      Do not throw an error if the external table does not exist. A notice is issued 
      in this case.
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>

   <varlistentry>
    <term><replaceable class="PARAMETER">name</replaceable></term>
    <listitem>
     <para>
      The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the external table to drop.
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>

   <varlistentry>
    <term><literal>CASCADE</literal></term>
    <listitem>
     <para>
      Automatically drop objects that depend on the external table (such as
      views).
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>

   <varlistentry>
    <term><literal>RESTRICT</literal></term>
    <listitem>
     <para>
      Refuse to drop the external table if any objects depend on it.  This is
      the default.
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>
  </variablelist>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1>
  <title>Examples</title>

  <para>
   Remove the external table named <literal>staging</literal> if it exists:

<programlisting>
DROP EXTERNAL TABLE IF EXISTS staging;
</programlisting>
  </para>
 </refsect1>
 
 <refsect1>
  <title>Compatibility</title>

  <para>
   There is no <command>DROP EXTERNAL TABLE</command> statement in the <acronym>SQL</> standard.
  </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1>
  <title>See Also</title>

  <simplelist type="inline">
   <member><xref linkend="sql-createexternaltable" endterm="sql-createexternaltable-title"></member>
  </simplelist>
 </refsect1>

</refentry>
