How to delete a database?

0-2 years experience

1. 1You have a local MySQL instance and need to remove a test database called 'temp_db'. Walk me through the exact SQL command you'd run and any safety checks you'd perform first.
2. 2If you try to drop a database that still has active connections, what will happen and how would you handle it?
3. 3After running DROP DATABASE, how would you confirm that the database was actually deleted?

2-5 years experience

1. 1Your application started failing after you dropped a database that was referenced by a foreign key in another schema. How would you troubleshoot and fix the issue?
2. 2You need to delete a production database but must retain certain tables for audit purposes. Describe how you'd accomplish this with minimal downtime.
3. 3During a deployment, a script that drops a database fails halfway due to a permission error. What steps would you take to recover and ensure consistency?

5-8 years experience

1. 1In a multi‑tenant MySQL cluster where each tenant has its own database, what strategy would you use to safely decommission a tenant's database without affecting other tenants?
2. 2Discuss the performance and locking implications of using DROP DATABASE on a very large database with millions of tables, and how you might mitigate downtime.
3. 3How would you design an automated safe‑delete workflow that includes backups, approval gates, and rollback for critical databases?

8+ years experience

1. 1Your organization is migrating from on‑prem MySQL to a cloud‑managed service and needs to retire many legacy databases while preserving compliance records. How would you architect a migration and decommission plan that satisfies audit, data‑residency, and cross‑team coordination requirements?
2. 2Explain how you would set up organization‑wide policies—such as IAM roles, resource tagging, and CI/CD checks—to prevent accidental deletion of production databases, and how you'd handle exceptions for emergency deletions.