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"

Because SQL is not case-sensitive with respect to keywords, each of the words in Table 2-1 may appear in uppercase, lowercase, or any combination of the two. All strings that differ only in capitalization from these words are reserved words.

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.

Table 2-1 lists the SQL reserved words in Sybase IQ.

**Table 2-1: SQL reserved words**
active	add	all	algorithm
alter	and	any	append
as	asc	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
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