ASA SQL Reference
SQL Language Elements
Keywords
Some keywords in SQL are also reserved words. To use a reserved word in a SQL statement as an identifier, you must enclose it in double quotes. Many, but not all, of the keywords that appear in SQL statements are reserved words. For example, you must use the following syntax to retrieve the contents of a table named SELECT.
SELECT * FROM "SELECT"
Because SQL is not case sensitive with respect to keywords, each of the following words may appear in upper case, lower case, or any combination of the two. All strings that differ only in capitalization from one of the following words are reserved words.
If you are using Embedded SQL, you can use the database library function SQL_needs_quotes to determine whether a string requires quotation marks. A string requires quotes if it is a reserved word or if it contains a character not ordinarily allowed in an identifier.
The SQL keywords in Adaptive Server Anywhere are as follows:
| Reserved word | Reserved word | Reserved word | Reserved word |
|---|---|---|---|
| add | all | alter | and |
| any | as | asc | backup |
| begin | between | bigint | binary |
| bit | bottom | break | by |
| call | capability | cascade | case |
| cast | char | char_convert | character |
| check | checkpoint | close | comment |
| commit | connect | constraint | contains |
| continue | convert | create | cross |
| cube | current | cursor | date |
| dbspace | deallocate | dec | decimal |
| declare | default | delete | deleting |
| desc | distinct | do | double |
| drop | dynamic | else | elseif |
| encrypted | end | endif | escape |
| except | exception | exec | execute |
| existing | exists | externlogin | fetch |
| first | float | for | foreign |
| forward | from | full | goto |
| grant | group | having | holdlock |
| identified | if | in | index |
| inner | inout | insensitive | insert |
| inserting | install | instead | int |
| integer | integrated | intersect | into |
| iq | is | isolation | join |
| key | lateral | left | like |
| lock | login | long | match |
| membership | message | mode | modify |
| natural | new | no | noholdlock |
| not | notify | null | numeric |
| of | off | on | open |
| option | options | or | order |
| others | out | outer | over |
| passthrough | precision | prepare | primary |
| privileges | proc | procedure | |
| publication | raiserror | readtext | real |
| reference | references | release | remote |
| remove | rename | reorganize | resource |
| restore | restrict | return | revoke |
| right | rollback | rollup | save |
| savepoint | scroll | select | sensitive |
| session | set | setuser | share |
| smallint | some | sqlcode | sqlstate |
| start | stop | subtrans | subtransaction |
| synchronize | syntax_error | table | temporary |
| then | time | timestamp | tinyint |
| to | top | tran | trigger |
| truncate | tsequal | unbounded | union |
| unique | unknown | unsigned | update |
| updating | user | using | validate |
| values | varbinary | varchar | variable |
| varying | view | wait | waitfor |
| when | where | while | window |
| with | with_lparen | within | work |
| writetext |