# columnName

In many places in the SQL syntax, you can represent the name of a column by qualifying it with a tableName or correlationName.

In some situations, you cannot qualify a columnName with a tableName or a correlationName, but must use a simpleColumnName instead. Those situations are:

- Creating a table (CREATE TABLE statement)
- Specifying updatable columns in a cursor
- In a column's correlation name in a SELECT expression (see selectExpression)
- In a column's correlation name in a tableExpression (see tableExpression)

You cannot use correlationNames for updatable columns; using correlationNames in this way will cause an SQL exception. For example:

    SELECT c11 AS col1, c12 AS col2, c13 FROM t1 FOR UPDATE of c11,c13

In this example, the correlationName `col1 FOR c11` is not permitted because `c11` is listed in the FOR UPDATE list of columns. You can use the correlationName `FOR c12` because it is not in the FOR UPDATE list.

## Syntax

    [ { tableName | correlationName } . ] SQLIdentifier

## Example

    -- C.Country is a columnName qualified with a correlationName.
    SELECT C.Country
    FROM APP.Countries C

Parent topic: SQL identifiers