# How to delete all records from view ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Forum\ **Tags:** Adabas-Natural, Natural, Natural-on-Mainframes\ **Created:** [July 29, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877 "2011-07-29T14:08:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Artur\_Paciorkowski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Artur\_Paciorkowski](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Artur_Paciorkowski)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/1 "2011-07-29T14:08:00Z")
Is possible to delete all records from defined view without reading them (like below): ```auto READ VIEWNAME BY ISN DELETE END TRANSACTION END-READ ``` ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/2 "2011-07-29T15:59:31Z")
This is possible with an Adabas direct call (even from Natural, let me know if you want to know more), but not with regular Natural DML (which makes sense as it also shields programmers from inadvertently deleting a file’s contents with a single call). Two comments re. your example: - use a physical read instead of reading by ISN, this will speed it up - don’t issue an ET after every single DELETE, do it conditionally after every ‘n’ calls ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/3 "2011-07-29T15:59:43Z")
If it is Adabas you can with direct Adabas Command E1 refresh the file (delete all records). The file must also have the option PGMREFRESH=YES. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Robinson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/steve_robinson/32/107_2.png) [@Steve\_Robinson](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Steve_Robinson)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/4 "2011-07-29T16:11:07Z")
Just to add to Wolfgang’s important guidelines for deleting all the records from a file: Your “viewname” should have but one field, namely the physically first field in the fdt. steve ---
**Author:** ![Ralph\_Zbrog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/ralph_zbrog/32/78_2.png) [@Ralph\_Zbrog](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ralph_Zbrog)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/5 "2011-07-29T23:02:25Z")
DELETE doesn’t require any fields in the view. All you need is the view name. ```auto DEFINE DATA LOCAL 1 EMP VIEW EMPLOYEES END-DEFINE READ EMP PHYSICAL DELETE IF *COUNTER > 49 THEN END TRANSACTION END-IF END-READ END TRANSACTION END ``` Emptying a file programmatically is not recommended if there are MANY records, or if you are going to do this repeatedly (to the same file). In those situations, use the PGMREFRESH option (via Natural), or the ADADBS utility to REFRESH the file (batch or via Adabas Online System). ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/6 "2011-08-10T18:20:19Z")
Hello, Be very careful with Natural when you want to delete all records in a view (DDM). Have you checked that there is only one view (Natural DDM) associated with the physical file (Adabas FDT)? If so, are you sure it will be always the case? Personally, in our company, we have banned the use of READ BY ISN and READ PHYSICAL. To delete all records in one view, we recommend: 1. For Natural, if the number of records permits: ```auto DEFINE DATA LOCAL 1 EMP VIEW EMPLOYEES 1 #COUNTER (I2) END-DEFINE READ EMP BY EMP-NUM DELETE ADD 1 TO #COUNTER IF #COUNTER> 49 THEN END TRANSACTION RESET #COUNTER END-IF END-READ END TRANSACTION END ``` 1. Or, use of Utility, if the number of records is important. ```auto ADAULD FILE = nnn, SORTSEQ = AD ADALOD UPDATE FILE = nnn, DDISN ``` Best Regards ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/7 "2011-08-10T18:21:53Z")
Hello, Be very careful with Natural when you want to delete all records in a view (DDM). Have you checked that there is only one view (Natural DDM) associated with the physical file (Adabas FDT)? If so, are you sure it will be always the case? Personally, in our company, we have banned the use of READ BY ISN and READ PHYSICAL. To delete all records in one view, we recommend: 1. For Natural, if the number of records permits: ```auto DEFINE DATA LOCAL 1 EMP VIEW EMPLOYEES 1 #COUNTER (I2) END-DEFINE READ EMP BY EMP-NUM DELETE ADD 1 TO #COUNTER IF #COUNTER> 49 THEN END TRANSACTION RESET #COUNTER END-IF END-READ END TRANSACTION END ``` 1. Or, use of Utility, if the number of records is important. ```auto ADAULD FILE = nnn, SORTSEQ = AD ADALOD UPDATE FILE = nnn, DDISN ``` Best Regards ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/8 "2011-08-10T19:03:00Z")
Assuming “all records in a view” means “all records on the file” - to delete them use ADADBS REFRESH ---
**Author:** ![Matthias1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@Matthias1](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Matthias1)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/9 "2011-08-11T14:33:24Z")
> [@Wolfgang Winter](#): > > ADADBS REFRESH ADADBM REFRESH 😉 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/10 "2011-08-11T19:59:52Z")
> [@Matthias](#): > > > [@Wolfgang Winter](#): > > > > ADADBS REFRESH > > ADADBM REFRESH 😉 Mainframe → ADADBS OpenSystems → ADADBM 😉 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-to-delete-all-records-from-view/97877/11 "2021-04-02T15:00:40Z")