Deleting removes tables and transformations from the Warehouse, and it cannot be undone. You can delete one object from its right-click menu, or select several with Batch Select and delete them together. Each delete reports what happened, including the objects that were refused, so you can retry them.
Delete one item
Right-click the table or transformation in the tree and choose Delete. To delete from a selection instead, use the batch flow below.
Read the confirmation. For a table, DataMind first checks what depends on it, showing Checking what depends on this.... When something uses the table, the confirm button becomes Delete anyway; otherwise it reads Delete. The check only warns: it does not change what gets removed. Deleting a table with dependants explains the list.
The confirmation says This action cannot be undone. This will permanently delete this Dimension., where the word after "this" follows the object you picked, such as Fact, Dictionary, Static, View or Transformation. Deleting a transformation skips the dependants check; only tables are checked.
Confirm. The row greys out and shows a spinner, and it ignores clicks and keys until the delete finishes.
Warning
Deleting is permanent. Objects that depend on a table are not deleted with it, and they keep pointing at a table that is gone until you fix or remove them.
Delete several items at once
Click Batch Select in the tree toolbar. Checkboxes appear on the rows. Turning the mode on or off clears the current selection.
Tick the items:
Group rows (Logical Model, Table Type, Semantic Source) are selectable. Ticking one selects the tables beneath it, together with their transformations.
Ticking every transformation of a table does not tick the table itself; the table shows as partly checked. Tick the table too when it should go.
Transformations are leaf rows shown under their table, and the toolbar toggle next to Delete shows or hides them (tooltip Show Transformations or Hide Transformations). Changing the toggle clears the selection, because the rows it refers to change.
Click Delete in the toolbar. It stays greyed out while nothing is selected, while the tree is still loading, or while a delete is already running.
Read the confirmation. It reads Delete Selected Item? when your selection holds one item and Delete N Items? for several, and counts the selection in the line This will permanently delete 2 tables and 1 transformation. This action cannot be undone. When the selection resolves to tables, the dependants check runs first, as above.
Confirm.
In a selection that holds both kinds, transformations are removed before tables, because a table cannot leave the Warehouse while it still has transformations. If the transformation step fails, the delete stops and the tables are not attempted.
Read the result
Tables: All tables removed successfully; when some were refused, Removal partially succeeded; when none went, Removal failed for all tables. Refused tables wait for you in Failed Deletions.
Transformations: Transformation(s) deleted, with The selected transformations have been removed from the view. A single transformation reports Transformation deleted, with The transformation node has been removed from the view.
A mixed selection reports both sides in one message: Selected items deleted when the tables all went, or Some tables could not be deleted when some were refused. The lines read like Deleted 2 transformations and Deleted 1 of 3 tables.
If the transformation step fails, the message carries Nothing was deleted. and the tables are not attempted.
Retry a failed deletion
When tables are refused, only the successful ones leave the tree, and a red badge with their number appears on the Delete button.
Hover the badge to read its hint, for example 2 tables failed - click to view.
Click the badge to open Failed Deletions. Its subtitle counts what failed, for example 2 tables failed to delete.
Each row names the table and its reason. When the name is not known, the row shows the table's id with a # in front.
Retry delete retries that one table. The row leaves the list when it goes, or shows its refreshed reason when it fails again.
Copy error copies the reason, so you can pass it on.
Retrying one table does not affect the others. Warehouse troubleshooting lists what the reasons mean.
What DataMind refuses to delete
DataMind checks before it deletes, and a refusal names the reason:
A table that still has transformations: Cannot remove table "Sales": it has transformations. Delete the transformations first. Include the transformations in the selection (with them shown in the tree), or delete them first.
A source system or semantic source that is still in use: a source system cannot leave while tables or transformations use it, or while it still holds data in the Warehouse (truncate that data first), and a semantic source cannot leave while it still has source systems. These objects are removed from their own windows; see Semantic sources, source systems and logical models.
Questions, answered
Why is the Delete button greyed out?
The toolbar button needs a selection, and a delete must not be running at the same time. Turn on Batch Select and tick an item, or wait for the running delete to finish. The toolbar also stays inactive until the tree has loaded.
Why did my checkboxes clear?
Turning Batch Select on or off clears the selection, and so does changing the transformations toggle: the rows the selection points at change with it. Tick your items again after the change.
If I delete a table, do its transformations go too?
Only when they are part of the selection. Ticking a table, or a group row above it, ticks its transformations too, and the delete removes them first, then the table. A table whose transformations are still there is refused, so either include them in the selection (with transformations shown in the tree) or delete them first.
Why does the message say "Nothing was deleted."?
In a mixed selection the transformations are removed first, and when that step fails the delete stops before the tables. Read the reason in the message, fix it (for example, abort a running transformation), then try again.
A table failed to delete. Where do I retry it?
Behind the red badge on the Delete button. Open Failed Deletions, read the reason on the row, and click Retry delete. Retrying one table does not touch the others.
Can I delete a semantic source or a source system from the tree?
No. Deleting here removes tables and transformations; ticking a group row selects the tables beneath it and the group itself stays. Source systems and semantic sources are deleted from their own windows, and only once nothing uses them: Semantic sources, source systems and logical models.
Why can't I delete a transformation while it is running?
A run in progress refuses the delete: Cannot delete transformation(s) [Sales_daily]: a run is in progress. Abort it first. Abort the run, then delete the transformation. Build, test and finalize a transformation covers the run controls.
Does deleting a table remove its data as well?
Yes. The table leaves the Warehouse with its data, so create it again if you want it back. To remove the stored data but keep the definition for a later deploy, use Drop instead; Deploy, run, truncate and monitor tables shows how.
Does a deleted item come back when the tree refreshes?
No. The item disappears from the tree when the delete finishes, and a later refresh does not bring it back.