Reserved Words

Some keywords in SQL are also reserved words.

To use a reserved word in a SQL statement as an identifier, you must enclose the word in double quotes. Many, but not all, of the keywords that appear in SQL statements are reserved words. For example, you must use the following syntax to retrieve the contents of a table named SELECT.

SELECT * 
FROM "SELECT"

If you are using Embedded SQL, you can use the database library function sql_needs_quotes to determine whether a string requires quotation marks. A string requires quotes if it is a reserved word or if it contains a character not ordinarily allowed in an identifier.

This table lists the SQL reserved words in Sybase IQ. Because SQL is not case-sensitive with respect to keywords, each of the words in this table may appear in uppercase, lowercase, or any combination of the two. All strings that differ only in capitalization from these words are reserved words.

SQL reserved words
active	add	all	algorithm
alter	and	any	append
as	asc	attach	auto
backup	begin	between	bigint
binary	bit	bottom	break
by	calibrate	calibration	call
cancel	capability	cascade	case
cast	certificate	char	char_convert
character	check	checkpoint	checksum
clientport	close	columns	comment
commit	committed	comparisons	computes
conflict	connect	constraint	contains
continue	convert	create	cross
cube	current	current_timestamp	current_user
cursor	date	dbspace	dbspacename
deallocate	debug	dec	decimal
declare	decoupled	decrypted	default
delay	delete	deleting	density
desc	detach	deterministic	disable
distinct	do	double	drop
dynamic	elements	else	elseif
enable	encapsulated	encrypted	end
endif	escape	except	exception
exclude	exec	execute	existing
exists	explicit	express	externlogin
fastfirstrow	fetch	first	float
following	for	force	foreign
forward	from	full	gb
goto	grant	group	grouping
having	hidden	history	holdlock
identified	if	in	inactive
index	index_lparen	inner	inout
input	insensitive	insert	inserting
install	instead	int	integer
integrated	intersect	into	iq
is	isolation	jdk	join
kb	key	lateral	left
like	lock	logging	login
long	mb	match	membership
message	mode	modify	namespace
natural	new	no	noholdlock
nolock	not	notify	null
numeric	of	off	on
open	optimization	option	options
or	order	others	out
outer	over	pages	paglock
partial	partition	passthrough	password
plan	preceding	precision	prepare
primary	print	privileges	proc
procedure	proxy	publication	raiserror
range	raw	readcommitted	readonly
readpast	readtext	readuncommitted	readwrite
real	recursive	reference	references
release	relocate	remote	remove
rename	reorganize	repeatable	repeatableread
reserve	resizing	resource	restore
restrict	return	revoke	right
rollback	rollup	root	row
rowlock	rows	save	savepoint
schedule	scroll	secure	select
sensitive	serializable	service	session
set	setuser	share	smallint
soapaction	some	space	sqlcode
sqlstate	start	stop	subtrans
subtransaction	synchronize	syntax_error	table
tablock	tablockx	tb	temporary
then	ties	time	timestamp
tinyint	to	top	tran
transaction	transactional	transfer	tries
trigger	truncate	tsequal	unbounded
uncommitted	union	unique	uniqueidentifier
unknown	unsigned	update	updating
updlock	url	user	utc
using	validate	values	varbinary
varchar	variable	varying	virtual
view	wait	waitfor	web
when	where	while	window
with	withauto	with_cube	with_lparen
with_rollup	within	word	work
writeserver	writetext	xlock	xml