Delete a Dataset in BigQuery

Deleting a dataset in BigQuery removes the dataset itself and all objects contained within it, such as:

• Tables
• Views
• Materialized views
• Their underlying data

This operation is irreversible, so it should be performed with caution.

Delete a Dataset Using the BigQuery Console (UI)

Follow the steps below to remove a dataset using the BigQuery user interface:

• Go to the BigQuery page here.
• In the Explorer pane, expand your project and select the dataset.
• Click on the three dots next to the dataset name and then click Delete.
• In the Delete dataset dialog, type delete into the field and then click Delete.

When deleting a dataset using the bq command-line tool, the -r flag must be used to delete all tables and views inside the dataset.

Delete Dataset Using SQL

We can also delete a dataset by using an SQL statement.

• Go to the BigQuery page here.
• In the query editor, enter the following statement.

SQL

DROP SCHEMA IF EXISTS mydataset;    

By default, this command deletes only an empty dataset. To delete a dataset along with all its contents, use the CASCADE keyword.

SQL

DROP SCHEMA IF EXISTS mydataset CASCADE;