Reserved Words

The Empirical List

More interesting than the full list of reserved words is the empirical list of words that are rejected as non-delimited table or column name0 by at least one tested system. Words that are actually reserved words in SQL are set in bold.

Note that you can still use these words as identifiers by putting them under double quotes (").

In the following chart a check mark (✓) means that the word is accepted as unquoted table or column name.

BigQueryBigQuery 2025-09-02Not as table namecNot as table namecDb2 (LUW)Db2 (LUW) 12.1.2Not as expressionaNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot as expressionaNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot as column namedNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot as expressionaNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot as expressionaNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot as expressionaNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebDerbyDerby 10.17.1.0Not as expressionaNot for column renaming without AS clausebH2H2 2.3.232Not for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot as expressionaMariaDBMariaDB 12.0.2Not as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot as expressionaNot as expressionaNot as expressionaNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecNot as table namecMySQLMySQL 9.3.0Not for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot as expressionaNot as expressionaOracle DBOracle DB 23.9Not for column renaming without AS clausebPostgreSQLPostgreSQL 17Not for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebSQL ServerSQL Server 2022SQLiteSQLite 3.50.0Not as expressionaNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot as table namecNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot as expressionaNot for column renaming without AS clausebNot for column renaming without AS clausebACCESSACCESSIBLEADDALLALLOCATEALTERANALYSEANALYZEANDANYAREARRAYASASCASENSITIVEASSERTIONASYMMETRICATAUDITAUTHORIZATIONAUTOINCREMENTAVGBACKUPBEFOREBEGINBETWEENBIGINTBINARYBITBLOBBOOLEANBOTHBREAKBROWSEBULKBYCALLCASCADECASCADEDCASECASTCHANGECHARCHARACTERCHARACTER_LENGTHCHECKCHECKPOINTCLOSECLUSTERCLUSTEREDCOALESCECOLLATECOLLATIONCOLUMNCOMMENTCOMMITCOMPRESSCOMPUTECONCATCONCURRENTLYCONDITIONCONNECTCONNECTIONCONSTRAINTCONSTRAINTSCONTAINSCONTAINSTABLECONTINUECONVERTCORRESPONDINGCOUNTCREATECROSSCUBECUME_DISTCURRENTCURRENT_CATALOGCURRENT_DATECURRENT_PATHCURRENT_ROLECURRENT_SCHEMACURRENT_TIMECURRENT_TIMESTAMPCURRENT_USERCURSORDATABASEDATABASESDATEDAYDAYSDAY_HOURDAY_MICROSECONDDAY_MINUTEDAY_SECONDDBCCDEALLOCATEDECDECIMALDECLAREDEFAULTDEFERRABLEDEFERREDDEFINEDEFINERDELAYEDDELETEDENSE_RANKDENYDESCDESCRIBEDETERMINISTICDIAGNOSTICSDISCONNECTDISTINCTDISTINCTROWDISTRIBUTEDDIVDODOUBLEDROPDUALEACHELSEELSEIFEMPTYENCLOSEDENDEND-EXECENUMERRLVLESCAPEESCAPEDEXCEPTEXCEPTIONEXCLUDEEXCLUSIVEEXECEXECUTEEXISTSEXITEXPLAINEXTERNALEXTRACTFALSEFETCHFILEFILLFACTORFILTERFIRSTFIRST_VALUEFLOATFLOAT4FLOAT8FOLLOWINGFORFORCEFOREIGNFOUNDFREETEXTFREETEXTTABLEFREEZEFROMFULLFULLTEXTFUNCTIONGENERATEDGETGLOBGLOBALGOGOTOGRANTGROUPGROUPINGGROUPSHASHHAVINGHIGH_PRIORITYHOLDLOCKHOURHOURSHOUR_MICROSECONDHOUR_MINUTEHOUR_SECONDIDENTIFIEDIDENTITYIDENTITYCOLIDENTITY_INSERTIFIGNOREILIKEIMMEDIATEININCREMENTINDEXINDEXEDINDICATORINFILEINITIALINITIALLYINNERINOUTINPUTINSENSITIVEINSERTINTINT1INT2INT3INT4INT8INTEGERINTERSECTINTERVALINTOINVOKERIO_AFTER_GTIDSIO_BEFORE_GTIDSISISNULLISOLATIONITERATEJOINJSON_ARRAYAGGJSON_OBJECTAGGJSON_TABLEKEYKEYSKILLLAGLASTLAST_VALUELATERALLEADLEADINGLEAVELEFTLEVELLIBRARYLIKELIMITLINEARLINENOLINESLOADLOCALTIMELOCALTIMESTAMPLOCKLONGLONGBLOBLONGTEXTLOOPLOWERLOW_PRIORITYLTRIMMASTER_SSL_VERIFY_SERVER_CERTMATCHMATCH_RECOGNIZEMAXMAXEXTENTSMAXVALUEMEDIUMBLOBMEDIUMINTMEDIUMTEXTMEMBERMERGEMICROSECONDMICROSECONDSMIDDLEINTMINMINUSMINUTEMINUTESMINUTE_MICROSECONDMINUTE_SECONDMLSLABELMODMODEMODIFIESMODIFYMONTHMONTHSNATIONALNATURALNCHARNEWNEXTNONOAUDITNOCHECKNOCOMPRESSNONCLUSTEREDNONENOTNOTHINGNOTNULLNOWAITNO_WRITE_TO_BINLOGNTH_VALUENTILENULLNULLIFNULLSNUMBERNUMERICNVARCHAROFOFFOFFLINEOFFSETOFFSETSONONLINEONLYOPENOPENDATASOURCEOPENQUERYOPENROWSETOPENXMLOPTIMIZEOPTIMIZER_COSTSOPTIONOPTIONALLYORORDEROUTOUTEROUTFILEOUTPUTOVEROVERLAPSPADPARALLELPARTIALPARTITIONPCTFREEPERCENTPERCENTILE_CONTPERCENTILE_DISCPERCENT_RANKPIVOTPLACINGPLANPORTIONPOSITIONPRECEDINGPRECISIONPREPAREPRESERVEPRIMARYPRINTPRIORPRIVILEGESPROCPROCEDUREPUBLICPURGERAISERAISERRORRANGERANKRAWREADREADSREADTEXTREAD_WRITEREALRECONFIGURERECURSIVEREFERENCESREGEXPRELATIVERELEASERENAMEREPEATREPLACEREPLICATIONREQUIRERESIGNALRESOURCERESPECTRESTORERESTRICTRETURNRETURNINGREVERTREVOKERIGHTRLIKEROLLBACKROLLUPROWROWCOUNTROWGUIDCOLROWIDROWNUMROWSROW_NUMBERRTRIMRULESAVESCHEMASCHEMASSCROLLSECONDSECONDSSECOND_MICROSECONDSELECTSEMANTICKEYPHRASETABLESEMANTICSIMILARITYDETAILSTABLESEMANTICSIMILARITYTABLESENSITIVESEPARATORSESSIONSESSION_USERSETSETUSERSHARESHOWSHUTDOWNSIGNALSIMILARSIZESMALLINTSOMESOUNDSSPACESPATIALSPECIFICSQLSQLCODESQLERRORSQLEXCEPTIONSQLIDSQLSTATESQLWARNINGSQL_AFTER_GTIDSSQL_BEFORE_GTIDSSQL_BIG_RESULTSQL_BUFFER_RESULTSQL_CACHESQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWSSQL_NO_CACHESQL_SMALL_RESULTSSLSTARTSTARTINGSTATISTICSSTATS_AUTO_RECALCSTATS_PERSISTENTSTATS_SAMPLE_PAGESSTDDEV_POPSTDDEV_SAMPSTOREDSTRAIGHT_JOINSUBSTRINGSUCCESSFULSUMSYMMETRICSYNONYMSYSDATESYSTEMSYSTEM_USERTABLETABLESAMPLETEMPORARYTERMINATEDTEXTSIZETHENTIMEZONE_HOURTIMEZONE_MINUTETINYBLOBTINYINTTINYTEXTTOTOPTRAILINGTRANTRANSACTIONTRANSLATETRANSLATIONTREATTRIGGERTRIMTRUETRUNCATETRY_CONVERTTSEQUALUESCAPEUIDUNBOUNDEDUNDOUNIONUNIQUEUNKNOWNUNLOCKUNNESTUNPIVOTUNSIGNEDUPDATEUPDATETEXTUPPERUSAGEUSEUSERUSINGUTC_DATEUTC_TIMEUTC_TIMESTAMPVALIDATEVALUEVALUESVARBINARYVARCHARVARCHAR2VARCHARACTERVARIADICVARYINGVAR_POPVAR_SAMPVERBOSEVIEWVIRTUALWAITFORWHENWHENEVERWHEREWHILEWINDOWWITHWITHINWITHOUTWORKWRITEWRITETEXTXMLXMLEXISTSXMLPARSEXMLQUERYXMLSERIALIZEXORYEARYEARSYEAR_MONTHZEROFILL
  1. Not as expression
  2. Not for column renaming without as clause
  3. Not as table name
  4. Not as column name

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Footnotes

  1. Future editions of the list might cover more identifier types such as type names, function names, …

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