B
Reserved Words, Keywords, and Namespaces

Topics are:

• Reserved Words and Keywords

• Oracle Reserved Namespaces

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 Oracle8i SQL Reference and the PL/SQL User's Guide and 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++:

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

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 Net8 Transparent Network Service functions all begin with the characters NS, so you need to avoid naming functions that begin with NS.

Table B-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	Net8 Native services product Net8 RPC project Net8 Directory Net8 Network Library layer Net8 Net Management Project Net8 Interchange Net8 Transparent Network Service Net8 Drivers Net8 Security Service Net8 V1 Net8 Two task
GEN, L, ORA	Core library functions
LI, LM, LX	function names from the Oracle NLS 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.