Naming Conventions for PostgreSQL

For general information, see SAS Names and Support for DBMS Names.

Most SAS names can be up to 63 bytes long. The PostgreSQL interface supports table names and column names that contain up to 63 bytes. If DBMS column names are longer than 63 bytes, then they are truncated to 63 bytes. If truncating a column name would result in identical names, SAS generates unique names by replacing the last character with a number. DBMS table names must be 63 bytes or less. SAS does not truncate a longer name. If you already have a table name that is greater than 63 bytes, it is recommended that you create a table view.

The PRESERVE_TAB_NAMES= and PRESERVE_COL_NAMES= options determine how this interface handles case sensitivity, spaces, and special characters. (For information about these options, see LIBNAME Statement for Relational Databases.) PostgreSQL is not case sensitive, and all names default to lowercase.

PostgreSQL objects include tables, views, and columns. They follow these naming conventions.

• When you work with a LIBNAME connection and DATA step processing, a name can contain up to 32 bytes. Wor you work with PROC SQL, the maximum table name or column name is 63 bytes.
• The first character in a name can be a letter, @, _, #, or underscore (_). PostgreSQL identifier names should start with either a letter or an underscore.
• A name cannot be the same as another PostgreSQL object that has the same type.