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# Identifiers

> Learn about Ocient identifier rules for naming tables, columns, and other SQL elements, ensuring consistency and clarity in database design.

In the Ocient® System, identifiers are lexical tokens that name specific entities in the database. For example, a table name is an identifier.

In most cases, you do not have to quote an identifier. However, the identifier must meet these two conditions:

* Start with a letter followed by zero or more letters, digits, or underscores.
* Must not be a reserved word. For the full list of reserved words, see [**Reserved Words**](/guides/sql-reference/reserved-words).

If the identifier does not meet either of these conditions, then enclose the identifier in double quotes `""` to create a delimited identifier. SQL is case-insensitive, and the database normalizes identifiers to lowercase. For example, you must add double quotes to the `1start_with_digit`, `hy-phen`, and `mixedCase` identifiers so that the database can parse them correctly: `"1start_with_digit"`, `"hy-phen"`, and `"mixedCase"`.

The system uses identifiers to identify these objects:

* Database name
* Schema name
* Function name
* Table name
* Table alias name
* Column name
* Column alias name
* Index name
* View name
* Task name
* Node names
* Machine learning model name
* Connectivity pool name
* Connectivity pool participant name
* Storage space name
* Cluster name
* Service class name
* Single sign-on (SSO) protocol
* Tag name
* JSON key
* Username
* Group name
* Common table expression
* Subexpression name
* Data pipeline name
* Data pipeline type

## Related Links

[**SQL Syntax Conventions**](/guides/query-ocient/general-sql-syntax/sql-syntax-conventions)

[**Reserved Words**](/guides/sql-reference/reserved-words)

[**SQL Reference**](/guides/sql-reference)

[**Machine Learning Model Functions**](/guides/sql-reference/machine-learning-model-functions)

[**Connectivity Pools**](/guides/sql-reference/data-definition-language-ddl-statement-reference/cluster-and-node-management)

[**Users, Groups, and Service Classes**](/guides/sql-reference/data-definition-language-ddl-statement-reference/users-groups-and-service-classes)