When to Use Truncate vs Delete?

Differences between the SQL Server DELETE and TRUNCATE Commands
  1. Truncate reseeds identity values, whereas delete doesn't.
  2. Truncate removes all records and doesn't fire triggers.
  3. Truncate is faster compared to delete as it makes less use of the transaction log.

Should I use TRUNCATE or delete in SQL?

Delete and truncate both commands can be used to delete data of the table. Delete is a DML command whereas truncate is DDL command. Truncate can be used to delete the entire data of the table without maintaining the integrity of the table. On the other hand , delete statement can be used for deleting the specific data.

What is the difference between TRUNCATE and delete?

Key differences between DELETE and TRUNCATE

The DELETE statement is used when we want to remove some or all of the records from the table, while the TRUNCATE statement will delete entire rows from a table. DELETE is a DML command as it only modifies the table data, whereas the TRUNCATE is a DDL command.

James H. Sterling

James H. Sterling

Environmental Science & Climate Journalist

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.