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$PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ref/drop_view.sgml,v 1.24 2007/07/03 01:30:35 neilc Exp $
PostgreSQL documentation
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<refentry id="SQL-DROPVIEW">
 <refmeta>
  <refentrytitle id="SQL-DROPVIEW-TITLE">DROP VIEW</refentrytitle>
  <refmiscinfo>SQL - Language Statements</refmiscinfo>
 </refmeta>

 <refnamediv>
  <refname>DROP VIEW</refname>
  <refpurpose>remove a view</refpurpose>
 </refnamediv>

 <indexterm zone="sql-dropview">
  <primary>DROP VIEW</primary>
 </indexterm>

 <refsynopsisdiv>
<synopsis>
DROP VIEW [ IF EXISTS ] <replaceable class="PARAMETER">name</replaceable> [, ...] [ CASCADE | RESTRICT ]
</synopsis>
 </refsynopsisdiv>

 <refsect1>
  <title>Description</title>

  <para>
   <command>DROP VIEW</command> drops an existing view.  To execute
   this command you must be the owner of the view.
  </para>
 </refsect1>
  
 <refsect1>
  <title>Parameters</title>

  <variablelist>
   <varlistentry>
    <term><literal>IF EXISTS</literal></term>
    <listitem>
     <para>
      Do not throw an error if the view does not exist. A notice is issued 
      in this case.
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>

   <varlistentry>
    <term><replaceable class="PARAMETER">name</replaceable></term>
    <listitem>
     <para>
      The name (optionally schema-qualified) of the view to remove.
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>

   <varlistentry>
    <term><literal>CASCADE</literal></term>
    <listitem>
     <para>
      Automatically drop objects that depend on the view (such as
      other views).
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>

   <varlistentry>
    <term><literal>RESTRICT</literal></term>
    <listitem>
     <para>
      Refuse to drop the view if any objects depend on it.  This is
      the default.
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>
  </variablelist>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1>
  <title>Examples</title>

  <para>
   This command will remove the view called <literal>kinds</literal>:
<programlisting>
DROP VIEW kinds;
</programlisting>
  </para>
 </refsect1>
 
 <refsect1>
  <title>Compatibility</title>

  <para>
   This command conforms to the SQL standard, except that the standard only
   allows one view to be dropped per command, and apart from the 
   <literal>IF EXISTS</> option, which is a <productname>PostgreSQL</> 
   extension. 
  </para>
 </refsect1>

 <refsect1>
  <title>See Also</title>

  <simplelist type="inline">
   <member><xref linkend="sql-alterview" endterm="sql-alterview-title"></member>
   <member><xref linkend="sql-createview" endterm="sql-createview-title"></member>
  </simplelist>
 </refsect1>

</refentry>
