# How to Use the Truncate Table Command in PostgreSQL

> PostgreSQL provides several methods for truncating a specific table. The TRUNCATE TABLE command is one of them. It can be executed from the psql and pgAdmin.

PostgreSQL offers a couple of ways to truncate a particular table. The **TRUNCATE TABLE** command is one of the most frequently used ways of truncating a table. The **TRUNCATE TABLE** command can be executed from the SQL SHELL as well as from pg Admin.

This write-up will illustrate the usage of the **TRUNCATE TABLE** command with the help of different examples. So, let’s start!

 **How to Truncate a Table in PostgreSQL?**

The basic syntax of the **TRUNCATE TABLE** command will be as follows:
    
    
    TRUNCATE TABLE tab_name;

Here, **tab_name** is a table to be truncated.

 **Parameters of the TRUNCATE TABLE Command**

The **“TRUNCATE TABLE”** command can accept one of the following parameters:

● **CONTINUE IDENTITY** : It is a default option in the **TRUNCATE TABLE** command that doesn’t modify or restart the value of orders.

● **RESTART IDENTITY:** Resets the identity column.

● **CASCADE:** It truncates all the tables, including those tables that have foreign-key references to other tables.

● **RESTRICT:** It is a default option in the **TRUNCATE TABLE** that is used to decline truncation if any other tables have a foreign-key reference of tables.

 **How to Use the TRUNCATE TABLE Statment From the psql?**

Open the SQL SHELL and perform the following steps to truncate a table from the selected database.

 **Step 1: Establish a Connection With the Database**

Select a database and establish a connection with the selected table using the **“\c”** command:

 **Step 2: Select a Table**

Run the **“\dt”** command to see the list of tables:

Choose a table that you want to truncate. Let’s say we need to truncate the staff_details table.

 **Step 3: Truncate the Table Using TRUNCATE TABLE Command**

Run the **“TRUNCATE TABLE”** command as shown in the following snippet to truncate the selected table:
    
    
    TRUNCATE TABLE staff_details;

The above snippet proves that the **TRUNCATE TABLE** command gets executed successfully.

 **How to Truncate a Table Using GUI?**

Follow the below steps properly to **TRUNCATE** a table using **pgAdmin** :

 **Step 1: Select a Database**

Firstly, open the **pgAdmin** and select the desired database from the object tree:

We selected the **“example”** database.

 **Step 2: Select a Table**

Within the selected database, locate the **public** section under the **schemas** sections, and select a table that you want to truncate:

Suppose we want to truncate the **“author_details”** table.

 **Step 3: Truncate the Desired Table**

Right-click on the selected table and select the **“Truncate”** option to truncate/delete the desired table:

 **Step 4: Confirm the Table Truncation**

Clicking on the **Truncate** option will open a confirmation window. Click on the **“Yes”** button to truncate the selected table:

Clicking on the **“Yes”** button will show a confirmation message at the bottom-right side of your computer screen:

The above snippet verifies that the selected table has been truncated successfully.

 **How to Execute TRUNCATE TABLE Command From pgAdmin?**

Right-click on the tables section and select the “Query Tool” option:

Clicking on the Query Tool option will open the following window:

Type the below-given command to truncate the author_details table:
    
    
    TRUNCATE TABLE author_details;

The output clarifies that the selected table has been truncated successfully.

 **How to Truncate a Table That Has Foreign Key References?**

Let’s execute the following command to truncate the article_details table:
    
    
    TRUNCATE TABLE article_details;

The output shows that an error occurred when we tried to truncate the “article_details” table. The error says you can’t truncate a foreign key-referenced table. To deal with such errors, the CASCADE parameter is used along with the TRUNCATE TABLE command.

Let’s execute the following query to truncate the article_details table:

The output verified that the article_details table had been truncated successfully.

 **Conclusion**

PostgreSQL provides several methods for truncating a specific table. The **TRUNCATE TABLE** command is one of them. PostgreSQL offers multiple parameters that can be used with the **TRUNCATE TABLE** command to achieve different functions. For example, the CASCADE parameter is used to truncate a table along with its dependent objects completely. This write-up demonstrated the working of the TRUNCATE TABLE using relevant examples.

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