delete-attribute

To delete attribute definitions from NovaDB, you perform a soft-delete operation on specific attribute object IDs within a branch. This marks the schema attributes as deleted without immediate hard deletion, returning deleted objects and transaction metadata to confirm the action.

Soft-delete for NovaDB attribute objects is a controlled removal method that marks unwanted attribute definitions as deleted rather than immediately destroying them. It reduces schema clutter and prevents the misuse of deprecated fields during model refactoring or migrations.

You clean up obsolete attributes on a NovaDB branch by providing the branch ID and an array of object IDs to the deletion tool. It invokes the CMS delete operation, processes the removal safely, and generates an audit trail with optional comments and usernames.

You need a specific branch ID and an array of attribute object IDs to remove unwanted fields from NovaDB. Optionally providing a comment and username ensures the soft-delete operation generates a proper audit trail with transaction metadata for schema cleanup.

A key limitation of NovaDB attribute deletion is that forms referencing the deleted attributes are not updated automatically. After the soft-delete transaction completes, you must manually update any dependent forms using a separate set-form-fields workflow to prevent reference errors.