Identification Variables

An identification variable is an identifier declared in the FROM clause. Although they can reference identification variables, the SELECT and WHERE clauses cannot declare them. All identification variables must be declared in the FROM clause.

Because it is an identifier, an identification variable has the same naming conventions and restrictions as an identifier, with the exception that an identification variables is case-insensitive. For example, an identification variable cannot be the same as a query language keyword. (See the preceding section for more naming rules.) Also, within a given persistence unit, an identification variable name must not match the name of any entity or abstract schema.

The FROM clause can contain multiple declarations, separated by commas. A declaration can reference another identification variable that has been previously declared (to the left). In the following FROM clause, the variable t references the previously declared variable p:

FROM Player p, IN (p.teams) AS t

Even if it is not used in the WHERE clause, an identification variable's declaration can affect the results of the query. For example, compare the next two queries. The following query returns all players, whether or not they belong to a team:

SELECT p
FROM Player p

In contrast, because it declares the t identification variable, the next query fetches all players who belong to a team:

SELECT p
FROM Player p, IN (p.teams) AS t

The following query returns the same results as the preceding query, but the WHERE clause makes it easier to read:

SELECT p
FROM Player p
WHERE p.teams IS NOT EMPTY

An identification variable always designates a reference to a single value whose type is that of the expression used in the declaration. There are two kinds of declarations: range variable and collection member.