Handling Reported Instances of Reserved Words

If sp_checkreswords reports that reserved words are used as identifiers, you have two options.

Use sp_rename, sp_renamedb, or update the system tables to change the name of the identifier.
Use set quoted_identifier on if the reserved word is a table name, view name, or column name. If most of your applications use stored procedures, you can drop and re-create these procedures with set quoted_identifier on, and quote all identifiers. All users can run the procedures, without having to use set quoted_identifier on for their session. You can use set quoted_identifier on, create views that give alternative names to tables or columns, and change your applications to reference the view instead.
The following example provides alternatives for the new reserved words “key”, “level”, and “work”:
```
create view keyview
as
select lvl = "level", wrk = "work"
from "key"
```
The syntax for the set command is:
```
set quoted_identifier on
```

If you do not either change the identifiers or use delimited identifiers, any query that uses the reserved words as identifiers reports an error, usually a syntax error. For example:

select level, work from key

Msg 156, Level 15, State 1:
Server 'rosie', Line 1:
Incorrect syntax near the keyword 'level'.

Note: The quoted identifier option is a SQL92 option and may not be supported by many client products that support other SAP ASE features. For example, you cannot use bcp on tables with names that are reserved words.

Before choosing the quoted identifier option, perform a test on various objects using all the tools you use to access the SAP ASE server. Use set quoted_identifier on, create a table with a reserved word for a name and reserved words for column names. If the client product generates SQL code, it must enclose identifiers in double quotes (if they are reserved words) and character constants in single quotes.

Procedures, triggers, and views that depend on objects with names that have been changed may work after the name change, but stop working when the query plan is recompiled. Recompilation takes place for many reasons, without notification to the user. To avoid unsuspected loss of functionality, change the names of objects in procedures, triggers, and views immediately after you change the object name.

Whether you change the object names or use delimited identifiers, you must change all stored procedures, views, triggers, and applications that include the reserved word. If you change object names, you must change identifiers; if you use delimited identifiers, you must add the set quoted_identifier option and quotation marks.

If you do not have the text of your procedures, triggers, views, rules, and defaults saved in operating system files, you can use defncopy to copy the definitions from the server to files. See defncopy in the Utility Guide.