Snowflake Keyword Compatibility Reference

Generated for GSP Java version 4.1.0.8 on 2026-03-15

This page was generated using hybrid static extraction from parser source files combined with runtime validation against the actual GSP parser. Re-run the extraction script after parser updates to keep this page current.

Keyword-as-Column-Name Support

As of version 4.1.0.8, the GSP Snowflake parser handles keyword-as-column-name through its grammar rules — a large unreserved_keyword production allows most keywords to be parsed as identifiers in column-name position.

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Full Classification Overview

Out of 730 keywords recognized by the GSP Snowflake parser:

Classification	Count	Description
Allowed	689	Can be used as an unquoted column name in both canonical contexts
Context-specific	39	Fails as SELECT keyword FROM t but works as SELECT t.keyword FROM t
Blocked	2	Cannot be used as an unquoted column name in either context

Context-Specific Keywords (39)

These keywords fail when used as bare column names (SELECT keyword FROM t) but succeed when table-qualified (SELECT t.keyword FROM t).

Keyword	Reason
ALL	SELECT qualifier
ARRAY	Type keyword
BINARY	Type keyword
BIT	Grammar keyword
BOOLEAN	Type keyword
BYTEINT	Grammar keyword
CASE	Expression keyword
CHAR	Type keyword
CHARACTER	Type keyword
CONCURRENTLY	Grammar keyword
CONNECT_BY_ROOT	Grammar keyword
CROSS	JOIN keyword
DECIMAL	Type keyword
DISTINCT	SELECT qualifier
DOUBLE	Type keyword
FLOAT	Type keyword
FLOAT4	Type keyword
FLOAT8	Type keyword
FULL	JOIN keyword
ILIKE	Operator keyword
IS	Operator keyword
JOIN	JOIN keyword
LIKE	Operator keyword
NATURAL	JOIN keyword
NOT	Operator keyword
NUMERIC	Type keyword
OUTER	JOIN keyword
OVERLAPS	Operator keyword
PRIOR	Grammar keyword
REAL	Type keyword
REGEXP	Grammar keyword
SIMILAR	Operator keyword
SMALLINT	Type keyword
STRING	Type keyword
TINYINT	Type keyword
TOP	SELECT qualifier
VARBINARY	Type keyword
VARCHAR	Type keyword
VERBOSE	Grammar keyword

Blocked Keywords (2)

These keywords cannot be used as unquoted column names in either context.

Keyword	Workaround
FROM	SELECT "from" FROM t
SET	SELECT "set" FROM t

Workaround: Double-Quoted Identifiers

For any keyword that fails as an unquoted column name, you can use double-quoted identifiers:

-- Blocked or context-specific keyword as column name
SELECT "from" FROM t;

-- Or use table qualification for context-specific keywords
SELECT t.all FROM t;

Scope and Limitations

• Tested contexts: SELECT keyword FROM t and SELECT t.keyword FROM t. Other contexts (DDL column definitions, INSERT column lists, aliases) may behave differently.
• Version-specific: This report reflects GSP Java version 4.1.0.8.
• Case sensitivity: Keywords are case-insensitive. select, SELECT, and Select are all treated the same.

How to Report Discrepancies

If you encounter a keyword that behaves differently from what this page describes, please report it through your support channel. Include:

1. The exact SQL statement
2. The GSP parser version
3. Whether the same SQL works in Snowflake

Methodology

1. Static extraction: A Python script parses the lexer (.cod) and grammar (.y) source files to identify all 730 keywords and their grammar classifications.
2. Runtime validation: A Java test harness validates every classification against actual TGSqlParser runtime behavior.
3. JSON dataset: The authoritative data is stored in docs/generated/snowflake_keyword_compatibility.json.