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Drop Collection

Permanently deletes a collection and all of its documents from a MongoDB database.

Common Properties​

  • Name - The custom name of the node.
  • Color - The custom color of the node.
  • Delay Before (sec) - Waits in seconds before executing the node.
  • Delay After (sec) - Waits in seconds after executing node.
  • Continue On Error - Automation will continue regardless of any error. The default value is false.
info

If the ContinueOnError property is true, no error is caught when the project is executed, even if a Catch node is used.

warning

This operation is irreversible. All documents and indexes in the collection will be permanently deleted.

Inputs​

  • MongoDB Client Id - The client ID returned from the Connect node (optional if credentials are provided).
  • Database Name - The name of the database containing the collection.
  • Collection Name - The name of the collection to delete.

Options​

  • Credentials - Database credentials (Category 5) - optional if using Client ID from Connect node. This allows you to perform the operation without a separate Connect node.

How It Works​

The Drop Collection node permanently removes a collection from a MongoDB database. When executed, the node:

  1. Validates that both database name and collection name are not empty
  2. Obtains a MongoDB client (either from client ID or by creating one from credentials)
  3. Accesses the specified database and collection
  4. Calls the drop operation to delete the entire collection
  5. All documents, indexes, and metadata associated with the collection are permanently removed

Requirements​

  • Either a valid client ID from Connect node OR database credentials
  • Valid database name (non-empty)
  • Valid collection name (non-empty)
  • Appropriate permissions to drop collections in the database
  • The collection must exist in the specified database

Error Handling​

The node will return specific errors in the following cases:

  • ErrInvalidArg - Database name or collection name is empty, or client/credentials are invalid
  • ErrConnection - Cannot connect to MongoDB (when using credentials)
  • Database not found error if the specified database doesn't exist
  • Permission errors if the user doesn't have collection drop rights
  • Collection operation errors if the drop fails

Usage Notes​

  • This operation is permanent and cannot be undone
  • All documents in the collection are deleted
  • All indexes on the collection are also removed
  • Dropping a non-existent collection may result in an error
  • Consider backing up data before dropping collections
  • You can use either the client ID approach or direct credentials approach
  • The database remains after the collection is dropped

Safety Best Practices​

  • Always confirm the collection name before dropping
  • Never drop collections in production without proper approval
  • Implement confirmation steps in your automation flows
  • Consider archiving or exporting data before deletion
  • Use appropriate user permissions to prevent accidental deletions
  • Test drop operations in development environments first
  • Document collection drop operations in your automation logs

Example Usage​

Scenario 1: Drop a collection using Connect node

  1. Connect node → Client Id
  2. Drop Collection:
    • MongoDB Client Id: (from Connect)
    • Database Name: "myapp"
    • Collection Name: "temp_data"

Scenario 2: Drop collection using direct credentials

  1. Drop Collection:
    • MongoDB Client Id: (leave empty)
    • Database Name: "legacy_system"
    • Collection Name: "archived_logs"
    • Credentials: (select database credential)

Scenario 3: Safe drop with verification

Set Variable:
  - db_name = "testing"
  - collection_name = "test_results"

Show Collections:
  - Database Name: {db_name}
  - Output: collections

If collections includes collection_name:
  If db_name contains "test" or "dev":
    Drop Collection:
      - Database Name: {db_name}
      - Collection Name: {collection_name}
    Log: "Collection dropped successfully"
  Else:
    Log: "Cannot drop collection in production database"
Else:
  Log: "Collection does not exist"

Scenario 4: Cleanup old collections

Connect → Client Id

Show Collections:
  - Database Name: "analytics"
  - Output: collections

For Each collection in collections:
  If collection starts with "temp_":
    Drop Collection:
      - Database Name: "analytics"
      - Collection Name: {collection}
    Log: "Dropped temporary collection: " + collection

Disconnect

Common Use Cases​

  • Cleanup: Remove temporary or test collections after processing
  • Reset: Clear all data in a collection by dropping and recreating it
  • Testing: Clean up test collections between test runs
  • Migration: Remove obsolete collections from legacy systems
  • Space Management: Free up storage by removing unused collections
  • Data Refresh: Drop and recreate collections for fresh data imports

Common Errors​

Empty Database Name:

  • Cause: Database name input is empty or not provided
  • Solution: Provide a valid, non-empty database name

Empty Collection Name:

  • Cause: Collection name input is empty or not provided
  • Solution: Provide a valid, non-empty collection name

Collection Not Found:

  • Cause: The collection doesn't exist in the specified database
  • Solution: Verify the collection name is correct using Show Collections node

Permission Denied:

  • Cause: User doesn't have permission to drop collections
  • Solution: Ensure the database user has appropriate privileges (dbAdmin or dbOwner role)

Database Does Not Exist:

  • Cause: The specified database doesn't exist
  • Solution: Verify the database name is correct

Alternative to Dropping​

Instead of dropping a collection, you might consider:

  • Delete All Documents: Use Delete Document with an empty filter to remove all documents while preserving indexes
  • Archive: Move data to an archive collection before dropping
  • Rename: Rename the collection for later review instead of immediate deletion
  • Create Collection - Create a new collection
  • Show Collections - List all collections in a database
  • Delete Document - Delete specific documents without dropping the collection
  • Drop Database - Delete the entire database including all collections