table_name syntax

[Markus Demleitner]

Dear DAL,

On Tue, Apr 28, 2015 at 01:18:30PM +0100, Mark Taylor wrote:
[While Sp-Index...]
> > might conceivably be caug[h]t by clients who might themselves see that
> > Sp-Index simply cannot be a delimited identifier, this is impossible
> > for a column_name 'FooBar' -- this might work as a regular identifier,
> > but *if* it's a delimited identifer, only '"FooBar"' will work.
> 
> I *think* you meant to write instead:
> 
>     "... Sp-Index simply cannot be a regular identifier ..."

You are, of course, right.

> I suspect in that case there are a number of TAP services out there
> broken in this respect (taplint hasn't been looking for them up till
> now), though disappointingly I can only find a couple of examples
> at GAVO DC (vlastripe82.stripe82 column _ct, plus an empty schema
> mwsc-e14a which maybe doesn't count).

_ct is ok -- that works as a regular identifier.  But:

> Supplementary question: does "form ready for usage" include
> quoting to avoid collision with ADQL reserved words?
> If so, I've got a few more GAVO column names I can beat you with
> (distance, size, date, section).

Yes, that's what I suggest: "If an ADQL engine needs a column, table, or
catalog to be referenced through a delimited identifier, it MUST be
given in quotes in both TAP_SCHEMA and on the VOSI endpoint" (yes,
that's a proposal for TAP 1.1 standards language -- where do I put
it?)

And true, if that's the policy we adopt I'll have to fix DaCHS.  What
a letdown that the problem didn't just go away when I so busily
pressed my eyes shut.  Something must be wrong with this world.

Cheers,

         Markus