Mysql SQL Error 1093 You can't specify target table

In this post, we will learn how to resolve this "Mysql Error 1093 You can't specify target table"



I was trying to delete some data using  this query:

DELETE  FROM articles
where art_id  in (select a.art_id
                          from articles a
                         where a.art_date <= '2015-05-19'

                        );
 

When I executed this query an error suddenly appeared that was: Mysql Error 1093 you can't specify target table.


What was the problem?
 Basically, the delete statement doesn’t allow to perform a sub-query using the same table.

How can I overcome this?

The solution, that I found was quite easy, is as simple as this: you have to wrap the sub-query in one more select .

Solution:

DELETE FROM articles
 WHERE art_id in (
     SELECT aid FROM(
      SELECT a.art_id FROM articles a WHERE a.art_date <= '2015-05-19'
  ) as a
 );