A SAS name is a name
that is assigned to items such as columns and tables. For most SAS
names, the first character must be a letter or an underscore. Subsequent
characters can be letters, numbers, or underscores. Blanks and special
characters (except the underscore) are not allowed. The maximum length
of a SAS name depends on the language element to which it is assigned.
Many SAS names, such as column names, can be 32 characters long. Other
SAS names, such as librefs, have a maximum length of eight characters.
For more information about SAS names, see
SAS Language Reference: Concepts.
Because the DataFlux
Federation Server languages include naming restrictions, such as reserved
keywords, and some third-party databases allow case-sensitive names
and names with special characters, you must show special consideration
when you use the names for tables and columns. This section presents
default naming behaviors and options that can modify naming behavior.