Below are few points that differentiate the DELETE and TRUNCATE command.
| Sl. No. |
DELETE |
TRUNCATE |
| 1 | This removes the rows one at a time and then records it in the transaction log for each of those deleted row. | This used fewer transaction log than delete and is faster |
| 2 | This can be used with or without a Where clause | This removes all rows from a table |
| 3 | Can be rolled back. | Cannot be rolled back |
| 4 | It is a DML Command. | It is a DDL Command. |
| 5 | When an Identity is used , it is not reset | Identity is reset |
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Another major difference is that TRUNCATE does not allow foreign keys on the table, you need to drop and recreate any foreign keys.
DELETE on the other hand only requires you to delete from tables in the correct order or use cascading deletes.