DROP EXTERNAL TABLE (Transact-SQL)

**APPLIES TO:** ![yes](media/yes.png)SQL Server (starting with 2016) ![no](media/no.png)Azure SQL Database ![yes](media/yes.png)Azure SQL Data Warehouse ![yes](media/yes.png)Parallel Data Warehouse

Removes a PolyBase external table from. This does not delete the external data.

Topic link icon Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions

Syntax

DROP EXTERNAL TABLE [ database_name . [schema_name ] . | schema_name . ] table_name   
[;]

Arguments

[ database_name . [schema_name] . | schema_name . ] table_name
The one- to three-part name of the external table to remove. The table name can optionally include the schema, or the database and schema.

Permissions

Requires ALTER permission on the schema to which the table belongs.

General Remarks

Dropping an external table removes all table-related metadata. It does not delete the external data.

Examples

A. Using basic syntax

DROP EXTERNAL TABLE SalesPerson;  
DROP EXTERNAL TABLE dbo.SalesPerson;  
DROP EXTERNAL TABLE EasternDivision.dbo.SalesPerson;

B. Dropping an external table from the current database

The following example removes the ProductVendor1 table, its data, indexes, and any dependent views from the current database.

DROP EXTERNAL TABLE ProductVendor1;

C. Dropping a table from another database

The following example drops the SalesPerson table in the EasternDivision database.

DROP EXTERNAL TABLE EasternDivision.dbo.SalesPerson;