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<h1 align="center">SQL As Understood By SQLite</h1><p><a href="lang.html">[Top]</a></p><h2>Database Object Name Resolution</h2>
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In SQLite, a database object (a table, index, trigger or view) is identified
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by the name of the object and the name of the database that it resides in.
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Database objects may reside in the main database, the temp database, or in
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an <a href="lang_attach.html">attached database</a>.
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The syntax of the <a href="lang_droptable.html">DROP TABLE</a>, <a href="lang_dropindex.html">DROP INDEX</a>, <a href="lang_dropview.html">DROP VIEW</a>, <a href="lang_droptrigger.html">DROP TRIGGER</a>,
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<a href="lang_reindex.html">REINDEX</a>, <a href="lang_altertable.html">ALTER TABLE</a> and many other commands all permit the user to
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specify a database object either by its name alone, or by a combination of
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its name and the name of its database. If no database is specified as part
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of the object reference, then SQLite searches the main, temp and all attached
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databases for an object with a matching name. The temp database is searched
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first, followed by the main database, followed all attached databases in the
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order that they were attached. The reference resolves to the first match
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/* Add a table named 't1' to the temp, main and an attached database */
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ATTACH 'file.db' AS aux;
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CREATE TABLE t1(x, y);
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CREATE TEMP TABLE t1(x, y);
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CREATE TABLE aux.t1(x, y);
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DROP TABLE t1; /* Drop table in temp database */
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DROP TABLE t1; /* Drop table in main database */
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DROP TABLE t1; /* Drop table in aux database */
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If a database name is specified as part of an object reference, it must be
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either "main", or "temp" or the name of an attached database. Like other
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SQL identifiers, database names are case-insensitive. If a database name
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is specified, then only the named database is searched for the named object.
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Most object references may only resolve to a specific type of object (for
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example a reference that is part of a DROP TABLE statement may only resolve
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to a table object, not an index, trigger or view). However in some contexts
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(e.g. <a href="lang_reindex.html">REINDEX</a>) an object reference may be resolve to more than one type
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of object. When searching database schemas for a named object, objects of
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types that cannot be used in the context of the reference are always