Epi Info™ User Guide
Command Reference
Analysis Commands: DELETE RECORDS
Description
This command deletes selected records.
Syntax
DELETE * {PERMANENT | RUNSILENT}
DELETE expression {PERMANENT | RUNSILENT}
Comments
All records in the current selection are set to deleted status. This means each record’s RECSTATUS value is changed from 1 to 0. These records can be undeleted. If the PERMANENT keyword is specified, the records are physically deleted from the database and cannot be undeleted. A confirmation message indicates the number of records affected unless the RUNSILENT keyword is selected.
Examples
Example 1: The code below will permanently erase all records in the current data source where the AgeInDays variable contains a value greater than five. Permanent deletions cannot be undone.
DELETE ( AgeInDays > 5 ) PERMANENT
Example 2: The code below will mark all records in an Epi Info 7 database for deletion. Since these records are logically marked for deletion, rather than permanently deleted, the UNDELETE Command can restore these records.
DELETE *