SSMS highlighting

[Bill Parker]

In a MSSQL Create Table query, SSMS highlights in blue the column names for State, Location, Dbid. I assume this is to warn of some issue? "State" is on the list of possible future reserved words, but I don't find Location or Dbid on any list. What does the blue highlighting really mean? Of course if enclosed in [], the highlighting goes away, but curious what the blue means.

Bill.

[lgrupido]

Re: SSMS highlighting

Whether you see it on a list anywhere or not, the blue highlighting means that it is a possible reserved word, or at least a word which means something to MSSQL in some other context.

MSSQL is pretty good about figuring out the correct context though, in practice, but it's still best to avoid those words whenever possible. (It's not always possible!)

Here is a similar (better?) explanation I found on the web:

SSMS uses color syntax highlighting for keywords that are not necessarily reserved keywords, but are keywords in the context of certain statements. For example POOL is a keyword as in CREATE RESOURCE POOL. SSMS will show the word in a different color even when not in the context of a CREATE or ALTER resource pool.

[Bill Parker]

Re: SSMS highlighting

I also found this. I have re-worded a bit to include in notes to myself.

If column name in SSMS is highlighted in blue, it may be reserved keyword. Simple test example for dbid. If error comes back as “Invalid object name 'dbid'.” Then it is not a reserved word. It is a reserved word if the error is “Incorrect syntax near the keyword 'dbid'.”

Select * from dbid

I guess I will use St vs. State but on some others I will take a chance.

[Davidk]

Re: SSMS highlighting

Use something more descriptive than State or St. This is particularly important when creating sql statements with joins or sql views. If it's a State field for a Customers table then call it CustState. You could have many tables with a State field... and it gets tough for others to follow when you've got multiple State fields in one statement. Further, in building components Alpha will nicely start appending numbers to duplicate field names... which you'll then have to deal with.

[Bill Parker]

Re: SSMS highlighting

Good point. I have not gotten into SQL coding yet, but need to review some. In DBF land, a table pointer would generally be used with the field name in xbasic, e.g. tCust.State. And it reads better than tCust.CustState.