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DML Delete

Professional

The DML Delete feature provides a powerful way to bulk delete Salesforce records using SQL-like syntax. It supports both soft deletes (which can be undeleted later) and hard deletes (permanent removal). This feature includes comprehensive safety mechanisms to prevent accidental data loss.

This page covers only things specific to DML Delete operation so please refer to DML Update page to understand how DML operations work in general, how to execute them, and view the results.

DML Delete Syntax​

DML Delete statements follow this syntax pattern:

DELETE [HARD] MAX <max_records> [FROM] <SObject>
[USING SCOPE <scope>]
[WHERE <conditions>]
[ORDER BY <field> ASC|DESC]
[LIMIT <number>]
[OFFSET <number>]

The MAX clause is required and acts as a critical safety mechanism to prevent accidentally deleting too many records.

Delete Types​

Soft Delete (Default)​

DELETE MAX 50 Account
WHERE Type = 'Prospect' AND CreatedDate < LAST_YEAR

Soft delete moves records to the Recycle Bin where they can be restored. This is the default and recommended approach for most scenarios.

caution

While Soft Delete moves the records to the Recycle Bin, it is not guaranteed to be recoverable. It depends on how many records you’re deleting, type of object etc., So it is always a good idea to back up critical data before performing deletes.

Hard Delete​

DELETE HARD MAX 25 Test_Data__c
WHERE CreatedDate < LAST_MONTH
Hard Delete Warning

Hard deleted records CANNOT be recovered! Make sure you have a back up of the data as necessary.

Delete Examples​

Delete by Status

DELETE MAX 100 Lead
WHERE Status = 'Unqualified' 
    AND CreatedDate < LAST_90_DAYS

Delete with Relationship Criteria

DELETE MAX 50 Contact
WHERE Account.Type = 'Prospect'
    AND LastActivityDate < LAST_6_MONTHS

Delete Using Complex Conditions

DELETE MAX 200 Case
WHERE Status = 'Closed'
    AND CreatedDate < LAST_YEAR
    AND Priority IN ('Low', 'Medium')