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Applies to: 
SQL Server 2016 (13.x) and later
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure Synapse Analytics
Analytics Platform System (PDW)
Removes a PolyBase external file format.
Transact-SQL syntax conventions
Syntax
-- Drop an external file format
DROP EXTERNAL FILE FORMAT external_file_format_name
[;]
Arguments
external_file_format_name
The name of the external file format to drop.
Metadata
To view a list of external file formats use the sys.external_file_formats (Transact-SQL) system view.
SELECT * FROM sys.external_file_formats;
Permissions
Requires ALTER ANY EXTERNAL FILE FORMAT.
General Remarks
Dropping an external file format does not remove the external data.
Locking
Takes a shared lock on the external file format object.
Examples
A. Using basic syntax
DROP EXTERNAL FILE FORMAT myfileformat;