Why should I capitalize my SQL keywords? [duplicate]

Answer 1

I capitalize SQL to make it more "contrasty" to the host language (mostly C# these days).

It's just a matter of preference and/or tradition really...

Answer 2

One thing I'll add to this which I haven't seen anyone bring up yet:

If you're using ad hoc SQL from within a programming language you'll have a lot of SQL inside strings. For example:

insertStatement = "INSERT INTO Customers (FirstName, LastName) VALUES ('Jane','Smith')"

In this case syntax coloring probably won't work so the uppercasing could be helping readability.

Answer 3

It's just a matter of readability. Helps you quickly distinguish SQL keywords.

Btw, that question was already answered: Is SQL syntax case sensitive?

Answer 4

I agree with you - to me, uppercase is just SHOUTING.

I let my IDE handle making keywords stand out, via syntax highlighting.

I don't know of a historical reason for it, but by now it's just a subjective preference.

Edit to further make clear my reasoning:

Would you uppercase your keywords in any other modern language? Made up example:

USING (EditForm form = NEW EditForm()) {
    IF (form.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK) {
       IF ( form.EditedThing == null ) {
          THROW NEW Exception("No thing!");
       }
       RETURN form.EditedThing;
    } ELSE {
       RETURN null;
    }
}              

Ugh!

Anyway, it's pretty clear from the votes which style is more popular, but I think we all agree that it's just a personal preference.

Answer 5

Back in the 80s, I used to capitalize database names, and leave sql keywords in lower case. Most writers did the opposite, capitalizing the SQL keywords. Eventually, I started going along with the crowd.

Just in passing, I'll mention that, in most published code snippets in C, C++, or Java the language keywords are always in lower case, and upper case keywords may not even be recognized as such by some parsers. I don't see a good reason for using the opposite convention in SQL that you use in the programming language, even when the SQL is embedded in source code.

And I'm not defending the use of all caps for database names. It actually looks a little like "shouting". And there are better conventions, like using a few upper case letters in database names. (By "database names" I mean the names of schemas, schema objects like tables, and maybe a few other things.) Just because I did it in the 80s doesn't mean I have to defend it today.

Finally, "De gustibus non disputandum est".

Answer 6

I prefer lower case keywords. Management Studio color codes the keywords, so there is no problem distinguishing them from the identifiers.

And upper case keywords feels so... well... BASIC... ;)

-"BASIC, COBOL and FORTRAN called from the eighties, they wanted their UPPERCASE KEYWORDS back." ;)