How to fix reserved name in PostgreSQL

When you see a syntax error at or near a word, that word is likely reserved in PostgreSQL. Common reserved keywords that cause issues include:

- OFFSET, LIMIT, ORDER, GROUP, WHERE, FROM, SELECT, ALL
- USER, ROLE, DATABASE, SCHEMA, TABLE, COLUMN
- CONSTRAINT, CHECK, PRIMARY, FOREIGN, UNIQUE, INDEX
- CASE, END, WHEN, THEN, ELSE
- AND, OR, NOT, EXISTS, IN

Check the PostgreSQL documentation for the complete list of reserved keywords:
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-keywords-appendix.html

Alternatively, query your PostgreSQL database directly:

SELECT * FROM pg_get_keywords() WHERE catdesc = 'reserved' ORDER BY word;

This will show you all reserved keywords for your PostgreSQL version.

To use a reserved keyword as an identifier, wrap it in double quotes. This tells PostgreSQL to treat it as an identifier name, not as a keyword.

Example - Creating a table with reserved keyword columns:

-- Wrong (will fail):
CREATE TABLE orders (
  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  order TIMESTAMP,
  limit INTEGER
);

-- Correct (with double quotes):
CREATE TABLE orders (
  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  "order" TIMESTAMP,
  "limit" INTEGER
);

When querying the table, you must also use double quotes:

SELECT "order", "limit" FROM orders;

If you have existing CREATE TABLE statements or migrations with unquoted reserved keywords, update them:

-- If table already created without quotes and you can't drop it:
ALTER TABLE users RENAME COLUMN "user" TO username;

-- Or create a new table with proper quoting:
CREATE TABLE users_new (
  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  "user" VARCHAR(255),
  "order" INTEGER
);

-- Copy data and rename
INSERT INTO users_new SELECT * FROM users;
DROP TABLE users;
ALTER TABLE users_new RENAME TO users;

If using an ORM like Prisma, Sequelize, or TypeORM, ensure it's configured to properly quote reserved keywords:

Prisma example:

model User {
  id    Int     @id @default(autoincrement())
  order DateTime  // Prisma will automatically quote reserved keywords
  limit Int
}

For custom SQL or query builders, use parameterized queries with proper escaping:

// Node.js with pg library
const query = 'SELECT * FROM users WHERE "order" > $1';
await client.query(query, [someValue]);

The safest approach is to avoid using reserved keywords as identifiers altogether. Rename your columns to non-reserved names:

-- Avoid this:
CREATE TABLE orders (
  id INTEGER,
  order TIMESTAMP
);

-- Prefer this:
CREATE TABLE orders (
  id INTEGER,
  order_date TIMESTAMP
);

-- Similarly:
-- user -> username or user_name
-- limit -> max_results or row_limit
-- offset -> skip_count or start_position
-- group -> group_name or department

This eliminates the need for quoting and makes code more readable across all database systems.