Reserved Words, Keywords, and Namespaces

A Reserved Words, Keywords, and Namespaces

This appendix contains the following topics:

A.1 Reserved Words and Keywords

Some words are reserved by Oracle. That is, they have a special meaning to Oracle and cannot be redefined. For this reason, you cannot use them to name database objects such as columns, tables, or indexes. To view the lists of the Oracle reserved words for SQL and PL/SQL, see the Oracle Database SQL Language Reference and the Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference.

Pro*C/C++ keywords, like C or C++ keywords, should not be used as variables in your program. Otherwise, an error will be generated. An error may result if they are used as the name of a database object such as a column. Here are the keywords used in Pro*C/C++:

Keywords	Keywords	Keywords
all	allocate	alter
analyze	and	any
append	arraylen	as
asc	assign	at
audit	authorization	avg
begin	between	bind
both	break	buffer
buffering	by	call
cast	char	character
character_set_name	charf	charz
check	chunksize	close
collection	comment	commit
connect	constraint	constraints
context	continue	convbufsz
copy	count	create
current	currval	cursor
data	database	date
dateformat	datelang	datetime_interval_code
datetime_interval_precision	day	deallocate
dec	decimal	declare
default	define	delete
deref	desc	describe
descriptor	directory	disable
display	distinct	do
double	drop	eject
else	enable	end
endif	end-exec	erase
escape	exec	execute
exists	explain	extract
fetch	file	fileexists
filename	first	float
flush	for	force
found	free	from
function	get	global
go	goto	grant
group	having	hold
host_stride_length	hour	iaf
identified	ifdef	ifndef
immediate	in	include
indicator	indicator_stride_length	input
insert	integer	internal_length
intersect	interval	into
is	isopen	istemporary
last	leading	length
level	like	list
load	lob	local
lock	long	max
message	min	minus
minute	mode	month
multiset	name	national_character
nchar	nchar_cs	next
nextval	noaudit	not
notfound	nowait	null
nullable	number	numeric
nvarchar	nvarchar2	object
ocibfilelocator	ocibloblocator	ocicloblocator
ocidate	ociextproccontext	ocinumber
ociraw	ocirowid	ocistring
octet_length	of	one
only	open	option
or	oracle	order
output	overlaps	overpunch
package	partition	perform
precision	prepare	prior
procedure	put	raw
read	real	ref
reference	register	release
rename	replace	return
returned_length	returned_octet_length	returning
revoke	role	rollback
rowid	rownum	savepoint
scale	second	section
select	set	skip1
skip2	skip3	smallint
some	sql	sql-context
sql-cursor	sqlerror	sqlwarning
start	statement	stddev
stop	string	sum
sysbackup sysdate	sysdba	sysoper
table	temporary	threads
time	timestamp	timezone_hour
timezone_minute	to	tools
title	trailing	transaction
trigger	trim	truncate
type	uid	ulong_varchar
union	unique	unsigned
user_defined_type_name	user_defined_type_name_length	user_defined_type_schema
user_defined_type_schema_length	user_defined_type_version	update
use	user	using
validate	value	values
var	varchar	varchar2
variables	variance	varnum
varraw	view	whenever
where	with	work
write	year	zone

A.2 Oracle Reserved Namespaces

The following table contains a list of namespaces that are reserved by Oracle. The initial characters of function names in Oracle libraries are restricted to the character strings in this list. Because of potential name conflicts, do not use function names that begin with these characters. For example, the Oracle Net Transparent Network Service functions all begin with the characters NS, so you need to avoid naming functions that begin with NS.

Table A-1 Oracle Reserved Namespaces

Namespace	Library
XA	external functions for XA applications only
SQ	external SQLLIB functions used by Oracle Precompiler and SQL*Module applications
O, OCI	external OCI functions internal OCI functions
UPI, KP	function names from the Oracle UPI layer
NA NC ND NL NM NR NS NT NZ OSN TTC	Oracle Net Native services product Oracle Net RPC project Oracle Net Directory Oracle Net Network Library layer Oracle Net Net Management Project Oracle Net Interchange Oracle Net Transparent Network Service Oracle Net Drivers Oracle Net Security Service Oracle Net V1 Oracle Net Two task
GEN, L, ORA	Core library functions
LI, LM, LX	function names from the Oracle Globalization Support layer
S	function names from system-dependent libraries

The list in the table is not a comprehensive list of all functions within the Oracle reserved namespaces. For a complete list of functions within a particular namespace, refer to the document that corresponds to the appropriate Oracle library.