Does cancelling a "DELETE" query stop any rows from being deleted?

Question

Hi all,

I started running a "DELETE FROM (table)" query and realized I needed to change something so I hit cancel. It was successful and no rows were said to be affected, but does cancelling successfully stop any rows from being deleted or can a few be deleted still?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Thanks for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.
If the cancellation is successful, SQL Server will initiate a rollback operation to undo the changes made by the incomplete DELETE operation. The rows should be there. Delete is rolled back if you cancel the statement.

The database should be restored to its state before the DELETE operation was initiated.

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Answer 2

Hi @Rachel Halper

As long as the delete was in one single transaction, it should rollback to the preview state.

To avoid encountering this situation again, you should build good habits.

You can refer to this post for more advice.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SQL/comments/18fxpgi/does_cancelling_a_delete_stop_any_row_removal/?rdt=58313

Best regards,

Percy Tang