DROP IF EXISTS: A Cool Feature in SQL Server 2016

In this article, we're going over a cool feature which was introduced in SQL Server 2016. That feature is DROP IF EXISTS (DIE) .

During development, we often need to drop a table. As a best practice, we generally use the syntax below.

Now, in SQL Server 2016 the same task is super easy. You can use the following syntax to drop the table object.

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS <TABLE NAME>

And the best part? Suppose the object does not exist. That's a problem, right? Nope. Remember "IF EXISTS?" In that event, there will be no error, and the execution will continue.

Let me share one more example of dropping a stored procedure.

DROP PROCEDURE IF EXISTS <PROCEDURE NAME>

But Wait, There's More!

Similarly, we can handle the following data objects with the same syntax.

Assembly

DROP ASSEMBLY IF EXISTS Assembly Name 

Role

DROP ROLE IF EXISTS ROLENAME 

Trigger

DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS Trigger Name 

View

DROP VIEW IF EXISTS View Name 

Rule

DROP RULE IF EXISTS RULENAME 

Type

DROP TYPE IF EXISTS Type Name 

Database

DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS Database Name 

Schema

DROP SCHEMA IF EXISTS Schema Name 

User

DROP USER IF EXISTS Username 

Security Policy

DROP SECURITY POLICY IF EXISTS Policy Name 

Function

DROP FUNCTION IF EXISTS Function Name 

Sequence

DROP SEQUENCE IF EXISTS Sequence Name 

Index

DROP INDEX IF EXISTS Index Name ON Table Name 

Synonym

DROP SYNONYM IF EXISTS Synonym Name 

I like this feature, and I'm sure you will, too. Please share your feedback, and enjoy!