Backticks or Square Brackets in SQL: Which Should You Use?

Backticks vs. Square Brackets in SQL Statements

In SQL, you may encounter two different types of enclosures for field names and table names: backticks and square brackets. While both can be used to escape reserved keywords or special characters, there are some subtle differences between the two.

MySQL

In MySQL, backticks (``) are the preferred way to encapsulate field names and table names. Using square brackets is not supported and will result in an error.

SELECT `username` FROM `users`;

SQL Server

SQL Server, on the other hand, uses square brackets ([ ]) to escape reserved keywords and special characters. Backticks are not recognized as a valid enclosure in SQL Server.

SELECT [username] FROM [users];

ANSI_QUOTES Mode

In MySQL, you can also use double quotation marks (" ") to enclose identifiers when the ANSI_QUOTES SQL mode is enabled. However, this is not as common as using backticks.

SET sql_mode='ANSI_QUOTES';
CREATE TABLE "test" (col INT);

Which Should You Use?

The choice between backticks and square brackets depends on the database platform you are using.

• If you are using MySQL: Always use backticks for field names and table names.
• If you are using SQL Server: Use square brackets to escape reserved keywords and special characters.

It's important to note that the backtick ( ) and square bracket ([ ]) are not interchangeable. Using the wrong enclosure may result in errors or unexpected behavior.

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