Delete a contact source without deleting the associated email
You can delete the contact source and still keep the email.
About this task
When you attempt to delete a contact source, the following warning message displays on the deletion data job submission screen:
Delete the contact sources and all associated items. Associated items include asset library rulesets, automated messages, contact lists, forms, queries, emails, recurring import jobs, reports, and templates.
However, you can delete the contact source and still keep the email template. When you create an email, it can be just a stand-alone template without a contact source. But, when you've added a contact source into the template, that email template has become an associated item of the contact source (a database, query or contact list). That means that the mailing template is treated as one of the associated items if the contact source is added to the template. This design applies to all types of contact sources, including databases, queries and contact lists.