Delete data with foreign key in SQL Server table

Question

I\'m going to delete data in an SQL Server table (parent) which has a relationship with another table (child).
I tried the basic Delete query. But it isn\'t working (and

Answer 1

If you wish the delete to be automatic, you need to change your schema so that the foreign key constraint is ON DELETE CASCADE.

For more information, see the MSDN page on Cascading Referential Integrity Constraints.

ETA (after clarification from the poster): If you can't update the schema, you have to manually DELETE the affected child records first.