Re: drop table where tableName like 'backup_2007%' ?

[Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us>]

Emi Lu <emilu(at)encs(dot)concordia(dot)ca> writes:
> Is there a command to drop tables whose name begins a specific string?

No.  The standard answer to this type of problem is to write a little
plpgsql function that scans the appropriate catalog and issues commands
constructed with EXECUTE.

	for r in select relname from pg_class where relname like 'backup_2007%'
	loop
		execute 'DROP TABLE ' || quote_ident(r);
	end loop;

Note that the above is overly simplistic --- it doesn't pay attention
to schemas, for example.

Some people prefer to just print out the constructed commands into a
file, so they can eyeball them before actually executing them.

			regards, tom lane