SQL DDL (Data Definition Language) Overview

DDL statements in SQL are used to define and manage

database structures. They allow you to create, modify, and
delete database objects such as tables, indexes, and schemas.
Here are the primary DDL commands and their definitions:
1. CREATE: Used to create database objects like tables,
indexes, and views.
2. ALTER: Used to modify existing database objects, such as
adding a new column to a table.
3. DROP: Used to delete database objects, such as tables
or indexes.
4. TRUNCATE: Used to remove all records from a table but
retains the table structure for future use.
 5. RENAME: Used to change the name of a database
object.
Commands and Examples
1. CREATE
o Definition: Creates a new table, view, index, or
other database object.
o Example:
CREATE TABLE Employees (
EmployeeID INT PRIMARY KEY,
FirstName VARCHAR(50),
LastName VARCHAR(50),
HireDate DATE
);

2. ALTER
o Definition: Modifies an existing database object.
o Example:
ALTER TABLE Employees
ADD Email VARCHAR(100);

3. DROP
o Definition: Deletes an existing database object.
o Example:
DROP TABLE Employees;
 TRUNCATE
o Definition: Deletes all records from a table but
keeps the table structure.
o Example:
TRUNCATE TABLE Employees;
4. RENAME
o Definition: Changes the name of a database object.
o Example:

RENAME TABLE Employees TO Staff;

SQL DDL Questions

Low-Level Questions:
1. What is the purpose of the CREATE TABLE statement in
SQL?
2. How do you add a new column to an existing table in
SQL?
3. What is the difference between TRUNCATE and DELETE
statements?
4. How can you remove a database table using SQL?
5. What does the RENAME command do in SQL?
What is the purpose of the CREATE TABLE statement in
SQL?
 • Answer: The CREATE TABLE statement is used to define a
new table in the database. It specifies the table name
and the columns that the table will have, along with
their data types and any constraints (e.g., primary keys,
unique constraints) that apply to the columns. This
statement establishes the table's structure and prepares
it to store data.
How do you add a new column to an existing table in SQL?
• Answer: To add a new column to an existing table, you
use the ALTER TABLE statement with the ADD clause.
Here is the syntax:
ALTER TABLE table_name
ADD column_name data_type;
Example:
ALTER TABLE Employees
ADD Email VARCHAR(100);
This statement adds a new column named Email to the
Employees table.

What is the difference between TRUNCATE and DELETE

statements?
• Answer: Both TRUNCATE and DELETE statements are
used to remove data from a table, but they have key
differences:
 o DELETE: Removes rows one at a time and can be
used with a WHERE clause to specify which rows to
delete. It logs each row deletion in the transaction
log, which can affect performance for large
datasets. It also activates any associated triggers.
DELETE FROM Employees WHERE LastName = 'Smith';
o TRUNCATE: Removes all rows from the table quickly
by deallocating the data pages used by the table. It
does not log individual row deletions and cannot be
used with a WHERE clause. It does not activate
triggers and is generally faster but cannot be rolled
back if used outside of a transaction.
TRUNCATE TABLE Employees;
How can you remove a database table using SQL?
• Answer: To remove a database table, use the DROP
TABLE statement. This command deletes the table and
all of its data from the database permanently.
DROP TABLE table_name;
Example:
DROP TABLE Employees;
This statement removes the Employees table from the
database.
What does the RENAME command do in SQL?
• Answer: The RENAME command is used to change the
name of an existing database object, such as a table or a
 column. The exact syntax can vary between SQL
database systems. In some systems, you might use
ALTER TABLE with RENAME TO, while in others, a
dedicated RENAME command is used.
o Example in SQL Server:
EXEC sp_rename 'OldTableName', 'NewTableName';
o Example in Oracle:
RENAME OldTableName TO NewTableName;

Medium-Level Questions:
1. Write a SQL statement to create a table called
Customers with columns for CustomerID, Name, and
Address.
2. How would you change the data type of a column in an
existing table?
3. What is the syntax to drop an index from a table in
SQL?
4. Explain how to use the ALTER TABLE command to
rename a column.
5. Describe the difference between TRUNCATE and DROP
commands with examples.

Write a SQL statement to create a table called Customers

with columns for CustomerID, Name, and Address.
 • Answer:
CREATE TABLE Customers (
CustomerID INT PRIMARY KEY,
Name NVARCHAR(100),
Address NVARCHAR(255)
);
This statement creates a table named Customers with three
columns: CustomerID (integer type and primary key), Name
(string type with a maximum length of 100 characters), and
Address (string type with a maximum length of 255
characters).
How would you change the data type of a column in an
existing table?
• Answer:
ALTER TABLE table_name
ALTER COLUMN column_name new_data_type;
Example:
ALTER TABLE Customers
ALTER COLUMN Address NVARCHAR(500);
This command changes the data type of the Address column
in the Customers table to NVARCHAR(500).
What is the syntax to drop an index from a table in SQL
Server?
• Answer:
DROP INDEX index_name ON table_name;
Example:
DROP INDEX idx_customer_name ON Customers;
This command removes the index named
idx_customer_name from the Customers table.
Explain how to use the ALTER TABLE command to rename
a column in SQL Server.
• Answer:
EXEC sp_rename 'table_name.old_column_name',
'new_column_name', 'COLUMN';
Example:
EXEC sp_rename 'Customers.Name', 'FullName', 'COLUMN';
This command renames the Name column to FullName in the
Customers table.
Describe the difference between TRUNCATE and DROP
commands with examples in SQL Server.
• Answer:
o TRUNCATE: Removes all rows from a table but
keeps the table structure for future use. It is faster
than DELETE because it does not log individual row
deletions and does not activate triggers.
TRUNCATE TABLE table_name;
Example:
TRUNCATE TABLE Customers;
This command removes all rows from the Customers table
but retains the table structure.
o DROP: Completely removes the table and its
structure from the database. This command deletes
the table and all its data permanently and cannot
be rolled back.
DROP TABLE table_name;
Example:
DROP TABLE Customers;

High-Level Questions:
1. Write a SQL script to create a table with a primary key,
a foreign key, and a unique constraint.
2. How can you use the ALTER TABLE command to add a
constraint to an existing table?
3. What are the potential impacts of using TRUNCATE
versus DELETE on a table with foreign key constraints?
4. Explain how the RENAME command affects dependent
objects in the database.
5. Describe the steps and considerations for dropping a
table that is referenced by other tables through foreign
keys.
 Write a SQL script to create a table with a primary key, a
foreign key, and a unique constraint.
• Answer:
CREATE TABLE Departments (
DepartmentID INT PRIMARY KEY, -- Primary Key
DepartmentName NVARCHAR(100) UNIQUE -- Unique
Constraint
);

CREATE TABLE Employees (

EmployeeID INT PRIMARY KEY, -- Primary Key
EmployeeName NVARCHAR(100),
DepartmentID INT, -- Foreign Key
CONSTRAINT FK_Department FOREIGN KEY
(DepartmentID) REFERENCES Departments(DepartmentID)
);
o Departments table has DepartmentID as the
primary key and DepartmentName with a unique
constraint.
o Employees table has EmployeeID as the primary key
and DepartmentID as a foreign key that references
DepartmentID in the Departments table.
 How can you use the ALTER TABLE command to add a
constraint to an existing table?
• Answer:
ALTER TABLE table_name
ADD CONSTRAINT constraint_name constraint_type
(column_name);
Example:
ALTER TABLE Employees
ADD CONSTRAINT UQ_EmployeeName UNIQUE
(EmployeeName);
This command adds a unique constraint on the
EmployeeName column in the Employees table.
What are the potential impacts of using TRUNCATE versus
DELETE on a table with foreign key constraints?
• Answer:
o TRUNCATE:
▪ Impacts: It removes all rows from the table
but does not activate any DELETE triggers. It is
not allowed if the table is referenced by a
foreign key constraint. If the table is
referenced, the operation will fail.
▪ Consideration: It is faster and does not
generate individual row delete logs.
o DELETE:
 ▪ Impacts: It removes rows one by one, which
can activate triggers if they are defined on the
table. It is allowed if the table is referenced by
a foreign key constraint, as long as referential
integrity is maintained.
▪ Consideration: It can be slower and will
generate logs for each deleted row.
Explain how the RENAME command affects dependent
objects in the database.
• Answer:
o SQL Server does not support a RENAME command
directly. Instead, you use sp_rename stored
procedure to rename objects.
o sp_rename:
EXEC sp_rename 'old_object_name', 'new_object_name',
'OBJECT_TYPE';
o Effects: Renaming an object (such as a table or
column) will require updates to any dependent
objects such as views, stored procedures, or
functions that reference the renamed object. These
dependencies must be updated manually or
through script adjustments to ensure they still
function correctly.
Describe the steps and considerations for dropping a table
that is referenced by other tables through foreign keys.
• Answer:
 1. Identify Dependencies:
▪ Use SQL Server Management Studio or the
following query to find tables with foreign key
constraints referencing the table to be
dropped:
SELECT
fk.name AS FK_name,
tp.name AS Table_name,
ref.name AS Referenced_table_name
FROM
sys.foreign_keys AS fk
INNER JOIN sys.tables AS tp ON fk.parent_object_id =
tp.object_id
INNER JOIN sys.tables AS ref ON fk.referenced_object_id =
ref.object_id;
2. Remove Foreign Key Constraints:
▪ Drop the foreign key constraints in the
referencing tables before dropping the main
table:
ALTER TABLE referencing_table
DROP CONSTRAINT fk_constraint_name;
3. Drop the Table:
▪ Once all dependencies are removed, you can
safely drop the table:
DROP TABLE table_name;
4. Considerations:
▪ Data Integrity: Ensure that dropping the table
does not cause orphaned records in related
tables.
▪ Impact on Applications: Verify that the
removal of the table does not disrupt
application functionality.
▪ Backup: It is a good practice to back up the
database before performing such operations.