Keywords consist of words reserved by the server to be used to define, manipulate, and access database objects. Keywords can be used for the names of local variables and for stored procedure parameter names. However, until the addition of quoted identifiers, keywords could not be used for the names of databases or database objects, such as tables, rules, defaults, and so on. Quoted identifiers (also known as double quote delimited strings) enable keywords to be used for the names of databases or database objects.
Even though it is syntactically possible, using keywords as object names (with quoted identifiers), it is not recommended. For details, see the Identifiers topic.
Keywords new for SQL Server 6.0 appear in bold type.
| ADD | ALL | ALTER |
| AND | ANY | AS |
| ASC | AVG | BEGIN |
| BETWEEN | BREAK | BROWSE |
| BULK | BY | CASE |
| CHECK | CHECKPOINT | CLOSE |
| CLUSTERED | COALESCE | COMMIT |
| COMMITTED | COMPUTE | CONFIRM |
| CONSTRAINT | CONTINUE | CONTROLROW |
| CONVERT | COUNT | CREATE |
| CURRENT | CURRENT_DATE | CURRENT_TIME |
| CURRENT_TIMESTAMP | CURRENT_USER | CURSOR |
| DATABASE | DBCC | DEALLOCATE |
| DECLARE | DEFAULT | DELETE |
| DESC | DISK | DISTINCT |
| DOUBLE | DROP | DUMMY |
| DUMP | ELSE | END |
| ERRLVL | ERROREXIT | EXCEPT |
| EXEC | EXECUTE | EXISTS |
| EXIT | FETCH | FILLFACTOR |
| FLOPPY | FOR | FOREIGN |
| FROM | GOTO | GRANT |
| GROUP | HAVING | HOLDLOCK |
| IDENTITY | IDENTITY_INSERT | IDENTITYCOL |
| IF | IN | INDEX |
| INSENSITIVE | INSERT | INTERSECT |
| INTO | IS | ISOLATION |
| KEY | KILL | LEVEL |
| LIKE | LINENO | LOAD |
| MAX | MIN | MIRROREXIT |
| NOCHECK | NONCLUSTERED | NOT |
| NULL | NULLIF | OF |
| OFF | OFFSETS | ON |
| ONCE | ONLY | OPEN |
| OPTION | OR | ORDER |
| OVER | PERM | PERMANENT |
| PIPE | PLAN | PRECISION |
| PREPARE | PRIMARY | |
| PROC | PROCEDURE | PROCESSEXIT |
| PUBLIC | RAISERROR | READ |
| RECONFIGURE | REFERENCES | REPEATABLE |
| REPLICATION | RETURN | REVOKE |
| ROLLBACK | ROWCOUNT | RULE |
| SAVE | SCROLL | SELECT |
| SERIALIZABLE | SESSION_USER | SET |
| SETUSER | SHUTDOWN | SOME |
| STATISTICS | SUM | SYSTEM_USER |
| TABLE | TAPE | TEMP |
| TEMPORARY | TEXTSIZE | THEN |
| TO | TRAN | TRANSACTION |
| TRIGGER | TRUNCATE | TSEQUAL |
| UNCOMMITTED | UNION | UNIQUE |
| UPDATE | UPDATETEXT | USE |
| USER | VALUES | VARYING |
| VIEW | WAITFOR | WHEN |
| WHERE | WHILE | WITH |
| WRITETEXT |