Practise · Preview, then delete

Opening your saved work…

The reading

Preview, then delete

SELECT COUNT(*) AS orders_left, MIN(order_date) AS earliest
FROM orders;

The question to ask after the delete: how many are left, and where does the data now start? Open in the playground

DELETE FROM orders WHERE order_date < '2026-01-20' removes whole rows, 71 of them. The same two rules apply: preview with the same WHERE first, and read what remains. 204 orders minus 71 is 133, and SELECT COUNT(*), MIN(order_date) FROM orders afterwards should say 133 and 2026-01-20. If it says 122, your boundary ate the 20th.

DELETE with no WHERE empties the table, row by row, with no undo in the browser and no undo on the desktop either, unless you were inside a transaction. The disposable copy means you can try it once to see what 'no rows' looks like.

Rule of thumb. Preview the rows, delete them, then count and inspect what remains.

Going deeper (optional, not on the exam)

With foreign keys on, a parent row with children refuses to go: DELETE FROM employees WHERE id = 24 fails with FOREIGN KEY constraint failed, because seven orders point at that employee. The database is protecting the orders. What to do about them is a design decision, which chapter 6 and Lab 10 cover.

Preview, then delete · DELETE ... WHERE, and what remains · level 1 of 6

Take the large hot chocolate off the menu

Level 1: Watch it answered · Exercise 1 of 1

Menu item 45, the Large Hot Chocolate, is discontinued. Watch the delete, run it, and count what is left.

Data: Northshore Coffee. Every run starts from a fresh copy, so nothing you try here is permanent.

Why it works, clause by clause

DELETE FROM menu_items: the table. There is no column list, because DELETE removes whole rows.
WHERE id = 45: the one row. Without it, the statement would empty the table.
Afterwards, count: 44 items, and the highest id is now 44.

From the reading: Preview, then delete, paragraph 1

I would like help with this exercise

DELETE FROM menu_items
WHERE id = 45;

Open in the playground

Query results

Run it to see the result here.

Practice here is evidence for you and your instructor, never a grade. Grades live in Canvas.