How to Delete a Table from a Databricks Connection

Databricks is a powerful data analytics platform built around Apache Spark. It simplifies big data processing, machine learning, and business intelligence tasks in a unified environment. One of the key tasks when working with data in Databricks is managing our tables by deleting no longer required tables.

In this article, we will go through how to delete a table from a Databricks connection by highlighting the different methods depending on whether we are working with Databricks SQL, Spark SQL or Delta Lake tables.

How to Drop a Table Using Databricks SQL?

Let's Deleting a Table Using Databricks SQL as step defined below:

• Access Databricks SQL: Open your Databricks workspace and navigate to the SQL tab. Ensure we are connected to the correct cluster or SQL warehouse.
• Use the DROP TABLE Command: The most common way to delete a table in Databricks is by using the SQL command DROP TABLE.

Example command:

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS my_table;

Explanation:

• DROP TABLE: Command to remove a table.
• IF EXISTS: Ensures that the command does not throw an error if the table doesn’t exist.
• my_table: Replace this with the name of the table we want to delete.
• Execute the Command: Run the SQL query and the table my_table will be deleted from the database.

How to Drop a Delta Table in Databricks?

Databricks often uses Delta Lake for storage, and the process of deleting Delta tables is very similar to deleting regular SQL tables. However Delta tables might be stored in external locations (e.g., cloud storage).

• Access the SQL Interface: Open the SQL tab and ensure we are connected to the cluster where the Delta table is located.
• Use the DROP TABLE Command for Delta: If we are deleting a Delta table, we can use the same DROP TABLE command but with the full path to the Delta table.

Example command:

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS delta.`/mnt/my_data_path/my_table`;

Explanation:

• delta.: Specifies that the table is a Delta table.
• /mnt/my_data_path/my_table: The full path where the Delta table is stored.
• Execute the Command: Run the query and the Delta table will be deleted from the specified location.

Conclusion

Overall, deleting a table in Databricks is a straightforward process but requires caution. Whether you're using Databricks SQL, Delta Lake, Spark SQL or Unity Catalog, the DROP TABLE command is the primary tool for removing tables from your workspace. Always follow best practices by backing up data and ensuring you have the correct permissions.

By following these steps, you can efficiently manage your data and maintain a clean and organized workspace in Databricks.