How to Drop All Tables in ParadeDB

How do I quickly drop all tables in a ParadeDB database?

DROP TABLE commands or schema resets remove every user-defined table from a ParadeDB (PostgreSQL) database.

Welcome to the Galaxy, Guardian!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Description

Why would you drop all tables at once?

Resetting staging data, re-running migrations, or rebuilding a demo environment often requires wiping every table. Dropping all tables is faster than deleting rows and guarantees a clean slate.

How do I drop every table safely?

Wrap the operation in a transaction and disable safety features like "psql \set ON_ERROR_STOP" so the whole block rolls back if any object fails to drop.Always verify you are on the correct database first.

Option 1 – DROP SCHEMA public CASCADE

Re-create the public schema after dropping it. This removes tables, views, indexes, and sequences in one command.

Option 2 – Generate dynamic DROP TABLE statements

Select all table names from pg_tables and loop through each one in a DO block. This keeps the schema and extensions intact.

Step-by-step code example

1. Connect to your ParadeDB database.
2.Run a transaction-wrapped DO block that iterates over every user table and issues DROP TABLE ... CASCADE.

Best practices to remember

Take a fresh logical backup, revoke connections from end-users, and disable triggers if foreign key errors surface. Document the procedure in version control.

When should you avoid dropping all tables?

Avoid on production databases unless you plan permanent decommissioning. Use TRUNCATE if you only need to clear data but keep the schema.

Why How to Drop All Tables in ParadeDB is important

How to Drop All Tables in ParadeDB Example Usage


-- Reset staging database while keeping extensions
do $$
begin
    -- Iterate over user tables like Customers, Orders, Products, OrderItems
    perform
        (select 1 from pg_tables where tablename = 'customers');
    -- Drop all tables at once
    execute $$
        DROP SCHEMA public CASCADE;
        CREATE SCHEMA public;
    $$;
end $$;

How to Drop All Tables in ParadeDB Syntax


-- Option 1: Replace the public schema
DROP SCHEMA public CASCADE;
CREATE SCHEMA public;
GRANT ALL ON SCHEMA public TO PUBLIC;

-- Option 2: Loop through tables and drop them (ecommerce example)
DO $$
DECLARE
    _tbl text;
BEGIN
    FOR _tbl IN
        SELECT '"' || schemaname || '"."' || tablename || '"' AS full_name
        FROM pg_tables
        WHERE schemaname NOT IN ('pg_catalog', 'information_schema')
    LOOP
        EXECUTE format('DROP TABLE %s CASCADE', _tbl);
    END LOOP;
END $$;

Common Mistakes

Using DROP TABLE on each table manually; this is error-prone and time-consuming. Fix: Use DROP SCHEMA ... CASCADE or a dynamic loop.
Running DROP SCHEMA public CASCADE in production; it removes everything, including privileges. Fix: Confirm environment and take backups before executing.