Which SQL statement is used to delete all records from a table?OptionsDELETE ALLREMOVEDROPTRUNCATE

Break Down the Problem

1. Identify the intent of the question: Which SQL statement corresponds to deleting all records from a table.
2. Evaluate each option provided to determine the correct answer.

Relevant Concepts

1. DELETE: This command removes rows from a table based on a condition. If no condition is specified, it can delete all rows, but the table structure remains intact.
2. DROP: This command removes a table and its structure completely from the database.
3. TRUNCATE: This command deletes all records from a table and resets any identity columns, but does not log the removal of each row, making it faster than DELETE without a WHERE clause.
4. REMOVE: This is not a standard SQL command.

Analysis and Detail

• The DELETE statement can remove all records when used without a WHERE clause, but it does not reset identity columns and is typically slower than TRUNCATE.
• The DROP statement does not just delete records but the entire table structure; hence it is not applicable for the intent of only removing records.
• The TRUNCATE statement efficiently deletes all records without logging each row deletion and resets any auto-increment counters.

Verify and Summarize

• The term "deleting all records" implies that we keep the table structure while removing its contents.
• Between DELETE and TRUNCATE, TRUNCATE is specifically designed for this purpose, being more efficient for the deletion of all records.

Final Answer

The correct SQL statement used to delete all records from a table is TRUNCATE.