Like MySQL, MaxDB has a number of reserved words that have special meanings. Normally, they cannot be used as names of identifiers, such as database or table names. The following table lists reserved words in MaxDB, indicates the context in which those words are used, and indicates whether or not they have counterparts in MySQL. If such a counterpart exists, the meaning in MySQL might be identical or differing in some aspects. The main purpose is to list in which respects MaxDB differs from MySQL; therefore, this list is not complete.
For the list of reserved words in MySQL, see the section called “Treatment of Reserved Words in MySQL”.
| Reserved in MaxDB | Context of usage in MaxDB | MySQL counterpart |
| @ | Can prefix identifier, like “@table” | Not allowed |
| ADDDATE() | SQL function | ADDDATE(); new in MySQL 4.1.1 |
| ADDTIME() | SQL function | ADDTIME(); new in MySQL 4.1.1 |
| ALPHA | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| ARRAY | Data type | Not implemented |
| ASCII() | SQL function | ASCII(), but implemented with a different meaning |
| AUTOCOMMIT | Transactions; ON by default | Transactions; OFF by default |
| BOOLEAN | Column types; BOOLEAN accepts as values only TRUE, FALSE, and NULL | BOOLEAN was added in MySQL 4.1.0; it is a synonym for BOOL which is mapped to TINYINT(1). It accepts integer values in the same range as TINYINT as well as NULL. TRUE and FALSE can be used as aliases for 1 and 0. |
| CHECK | CHECK TABLE | CHECK TABLE; similar, but not identical usage |
| COLUMN | Column types | COLUMN; noise word |
| CHAR() | SQL function | CHAR(); identical syntax; similar, not identical usage |
| COMMIT | Implicit commits of transactions happen when data definition statements are issued | Implicit commits of transactions happen when data definition statements are issued, and also with a number of other statements |
| COSH() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| COT() | SQL function | COT(); identical syntax and implementation |
| CREATE | SQL, data definition language | CREATE |
| DATABASE | SQL function | DATABASE(); DATABASE is used in a different context; for example, CREATE DATABASE |
| DATE() | SQL function | CURRENT_DATE |
| DATEDIFF() | SQL function | DATEDIFF(); new in MySQL 4.1.1 |
| DAY() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| DAYOFWEEK() | SQL function | DAYOFWEEK(); by default, 1 represents Monday in MaxDB and Sunday in MySQL |
| DISTINCT | SQL functions AVG, MAX, MIN, SUM | DISTINCT; but used in a different context: SELECT DISTINCT |
| DROP | DROP INDEX, for example | DROP INDEX; similar, but not identical usage |
| EBCDIC() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| EXPAND() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| EXPLAIN | Optimization | EXPLAIN; similar, but not identical usage |
| FIXED() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| FLOAT() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| HEX() | SQL function | HEX(); similar, but not identical usage |
| INDEX() | SQL function | INSTR() or LOCATE(); similar, but not identical syntaxes and meanings |
| INDEX | USE INDEX, IGNORE INDEX and similar hints are used right after SELECT; for example, SELECT ... USE INDEX | USE INDEX, IGNORE INDEX and similar hints are used in the FROM clause of a SELECT query; for example, in SELECT ... FROM ... USE INDEX |
| INITCAP() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| LENGTH() | SQL function | LENGTH(); identical syntax, but slightly different implementation |
| LFILL() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| LIKE | Comparisons | LIKE; but the extended LIKE MaxDB provides rather resembles the MySQL REGEX |
| LIKE wildcards | MaxDB supports “%”, “_”, “Control-underline”, “Control-up arrow”, “*”, and “?” as wildcards in LIKE comparisons | MySQL supports “%”, and “_” as wildcards in LIKE comparisons |
| LPAD() | SQL function | LPAD(); slightly different implementation |
| LTRIM() | SQL function | LTRIM(); slightly different implementation |
| MAKEDATE() | SQL function | MAKEDATE(); new in MySQL 4.1.1 |
| MAKETIME() | SQL function | MAKETIME(); new in MySQL 4.1.1 |
| MAPCHAR() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| MICROSECOND() | SQL function | MICROSECOND(); new in MySQL 4.1.1 |
| NOROUND() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| NULL | Column types; comparisons | NULL; MaxDB supports special NULL values that are returned by arithmetic operations that lead to an overflow or a division by zero; MySQL does not support such special values |
| PI | SQL function | PI(); identical syntax and implementation, but parentheses are mandatory in MySQL |
| REF | Data type | Nothing comparable |
| RFILL() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| ROWNO | Predicate in WHERE clause | Similar to LIMIT clause |
| RPAD() | SQL function | RPAD(); slightly different implementation |
| RTRIM() | SQL function | RTRIM(); slightly different implementation |
| SEQUENCE | CREATE SEQUENCE, DROP SEQUENCE | AUTO_INCREMENT; similar concept, but different implementation |
| SINH() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| SOUNDS() | SQL function | SOUNDEX(); slightly different syntax |
| STATISTICS | UPDATE STATISTICS | ANALYZE TABLE; similar concept, but different implementation |
| SUBSTR() | SQL function | SUBSTRING(); slightly different implementation |
| SUBTIME() | SQL function | SUBTIME(); new in MySQL 4.1.1 |
| SYNONYM | Data definition language: CREATE [PUBLIC] SYNONYM, RENAME SYNONYM, DROP SYNONYM | Nothing comparable |
| TANH() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| TIME() | SQL function | CURRENT_TIME |
| TIMEDIFF() | SQL function | TIMEDIFF(); new in MySQL 4.1.1 |
| TIMESTAMP() | SQL function | TIMESTAMP(); new in MySQL 4.1.1 |
| TIMESTAMP() as argument to DAYOFMONTH() and DAYOFYEAR() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| TIMEZONE() | SQL function | Nothing comparable |
| TRANSACTION() | Returns the ID of the current transaction | Nothing comparable |
| TRANSLATE() | SQL function | REPLACE(); identical syntax and implementation |
| TRIM() | SQL function | TRIM(); slightly different implementation |
| TRUNC() | SQL function | TRUNCATE(); slightly different syntax and implementation |
| USE | Switches to a new database instance; terminates the connection to the current database instance; all subsequent commands are referred to this database instance | USE; identical syntax, but does not terminate the connection to the current database |
| USER | SQL function | USER(); identical syntax, but slightly different implementation, and parentheses are mandatory in MySQL |
| UTC_DIFF() | SQL function | UTC_DATE(); provides a means to calculate the same result as UTC_DIFF() |
| VALUE() | SQL function, alias for COALESCE() | COALESCE(); identical syntax and implementation |
| VARIANCE() | SQL function | VARIANCE(); new in MySQL 4.1.0 |
| WEEKOFYEAR() | SQL function | WEEKOFYEAR(); new in MySQL 4.1.1 |