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Special Character Handling in Source Definitions

You can import, create, or edit source definitions with table and column names containing special characters, such as the slash (/) character through the Designer. When you use the Source Analyzer to import a source definition, the Designer retains special characters in table and field names.

However, when you add a source definition with special characters to a mapping, the Designer either retains or replaces the special character. Also, when you generate the default SQL statement in a Source Qualifier transformation for a relational source, the Designer uses quotation marks around some special characters. The Designer handles special characters differently for relational and non-relational sources.

The following table describes how the Designer handles special characters in relational sources:

Special Character	Source Analyzer Behavior	Mapping Designer Behavior
@#$_	Retains the character in the source definition table name. Retains the character in the source definition column names.	Retains the character in the source instance table name. Retains the character in the source instance column names. Retains the character in the Source Qualifier transformation name. Retains the character in the Source Qualifier transformation port names. Does not use quotation marks around the table or column names in the SQL query.
/+-=~`!%^&*()[] {}';?,<>\\| <space>	Retains the character in the source definition table name. Retains the character in the source definition column names.	Replaces the character in the source instance table name with the underscore character. Retains the character in the source instance column names. Replaces the character in the Source Qualifier transformation name with the underscore character. Replaces the character in the Source Qualifier transformation port names with the underscore character. Delimits table and column names including special characters with quotation marks in the SQL query.
.":\t\r\n	Designer does not recognize these characters in relational source table and column names.	Designer does not recognize these characters in relational source table and column names.
.	Designer recognizes the period in ODBC sources.	Designer recognizes the period in ODBC source instances.

Although the Designer replaces slash characters with underscore characters for source table names, it retains slash characters in source definition port names.

The following table describes how the Designer handles special characters in non-relational sources:

Special Character	Source Analyzer Behavior	Mapping Designer Behavior
@#$_	Retains the character in the source definition table name. Retains the character in the source definition column names. You cannot use the @ character as the first character in a table or column name.	Retains the character in the source instance table name. Retains the character in the source instance column names. Retains the character in the Source Qualifier transformation name. Retains the character in the Source Qualifier transformation port names. You cannot use the @ character as the first character in a table or column name.
/	Retains the character in the source definition table name. Retains the character in the source definition column names.	Replaces the character in the source instance table name with the underscore character. Retains the character in the source instance column names. Replaces the character in the Source Qualifier transformation name with the underscore character. Replaces the character in the Source Qualifier transformation port names with the underscore character.
.+-=~`!%^&*()[]{}'" ;:?,<>\\|\t\r\n <space>	Designer does not recognize these characters in non-relational source table and column names.	Designer does not recognize these characters in non-relational source table and column names.

Some databases require special configuration or commands to allow table and field names containing the slash character. For more information, see the database documentation.

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Designer Guide

Designer Guide

Special Character Handling in Source Definitions

Special Character Handling in Source Definitions