quotename-transact-sql.md

title	QUOTENAME (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs
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ms.date	03/14/2017
ms.prod	sql-non-specified
ms.prod_service	database-engine, sql-database, sql-data-warehouse, pdw
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ms.component	t-sql|functions
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ms.suite	sql
ms.technology	database-engine
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f1_keywords	QUOTENAME_TSQL QUOTENAME
dev_langs	TSQL
helpviewer_keywords	delimited identifiers [SQL Server] input strings [SQL Server] Unicode [SQL Server], delimited identifiers QUOTENAME function valid identifiers [SQL Server]
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author	edmacauley
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QUOTENAME (Transact-SQL)

[!INCLUDEtsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md]

Returns a Unicode string with the delimiters added to make the input string a valid [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] delimited identifier.

Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions

Syntax

QUOTENAME ( 'character_string' [ , 'quote_character' ] )   

Arguments

'character_string'
Is a string of Unicode character data. character_string is sysname and is limited to 128 characters. Inputs greater than 128 characters return NULL.

'quote_character'
Is a one-character string to use as the delimiter. Can be a single quotation mark ( ' ), a left or right bracket ( [] ), or a double quotation mark ( " ). If quote_character is not specified, brackets are used.

Return Types

nvarchar(258)

Examples

The following example takes the character string abc[]def and uses the [ and ] characters to create a valid [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] delimited identifier.

SELECT QUOTENAME('abc[]def');  

[!INCLUDEssResult]

[abc[]]def]  
  
(1 row(s) affected)  

Notice that the right bracket in the string abc[]def is doubled to indicate an escape character.

Examples: [!INCLUDEssSDWfull] and [!INCLUDEssPDW]

The following example takes the character string abc def and uses the [ and ] characters to create a valid [!INCLUDEssNoVersion] delimited identifier.

SELECT QUOTENAME('abc def');   

[!INCLUDEssResult]

[abc def]  
  
(1 row(s) affected)  

See Also

PARSENAME (Transact-SQL)
CONCAT (Transact-SQL)
CONCAT_WS (Transact-SQL)
FORMATMESSAGE (Transact-SQL)
REPLACE (Transact-SQL)
REVERSE (Transact-SQL)
STRING_AGG (Transact-SQL)
STRING_ESCAPE (Transact-SQL)
STUFF (Transact-SQL)
TRANSLATE (Transact-SQL)
String Functions (Transact-SQL)