What does the DELETE command in SQL specify?

The DELETE command in SQL is specifically designed to remove one or more rows from a table based on specified conditions. When using DELETE, you can include a WHERE clause to precisely identify which rows should be deleted, thus allowing for targeted data management. This capability makes it an essential tool for maintaining the integrity and relevance of data within a database.

For instance, if you have a table of users and want to remove users who have not logged in for a specified period, you would use DELETE with a WHERE clause to only affect those rows that meet this criterion. Without the WHERE clause, all rows in the table would be deleted, which highlights the importance of clearly defining the data values when executing this command.

In summary, the DELETE command's purpose is to specify which rows to remove based on clearly defined data values, effectively managing the dataset and its associated integrity.