Question

I am having trouble running a simple sql query in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 to create a database and im not sure why.

When I run this query

CREATE DATABASE 4444-virtual2

I receive this error

Incorrect syntax near ‘4444’.

Is there anything in particular that I must specify if I am creating a database table with numeric values in the name? Or am I forgetting something?

Answer 1

Database names need to start with a letter, underscore, at sign or number sign:

The first character must be one of the
following:

• A letter as defined by the Unicode
  Standard 3.2. The Unicode definition
  of letters includes Latin characters
  from a through z, from A through Z,
  and also letter characters from other
  languages.

• The underscore (_), at sign (@), or
  number sign (#).

Certain symbols at the beginning of an
identifier have special meaning in SQL
Server. A regular identifier that
starts with the at sign always denotes
a local variable or parameter and
cannot be used as the name of any
other type of object. An identifier
that starts with a number sign denotes
a temporary table or procedure. An
identifier that starts with double
number signs (##) denotes a global
temporary object. Although the number
sign or double number sign characters
can be used to begin the names of
other types of objects, we do not
recommend this practice.

Some Transact-SQL functions have names
that start with double at signs (@@).
To avoid confusion with these
functions, you should not use names
that start with @@.

Unless you want to delimit every use of the name with double quotes "4444-virtual2" or brackets [4444-virtual2].