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title: "sp_validname (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
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# sp_validname (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-asdb-xxxx-xxx_md](../../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-asdb-xxxx-xxx-md.md)]

  Checks for valid [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] identifier names. All nonbinary and nonzero data, including Unicode data that can be stored by using the **nchar**, **nvarchar**, or **ntext** data types, are accepted as valid characters for identifier names.  
  
||  
|-|  
|**Applies to**: [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] ([!INCLUDE[ssKatmai](../../includes/sskatmai-md.md)] through [current version](http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=299658)), [!INCLUDE[ssSDSfull](../../includes/sssdsfull-md.md)].|  
  
 ![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```  
  
sp_validname [@name =] 'name'   
     [, [@raise_error =] raise_error]  
```  
  
## Arguments  
 [ **@name=** ] **'***name***'**  
 Is the name of the [identifiers](../../relational-databases/databases/database-identifiers.md) for which to check validity. *name* is **sysname**, with no default. *name* cannot be NULL, cannot be an empty string, and cannot contain a binary-zero character.  
  
 [ **@raise_error=** ] *raise_error*  
 Specifies whether to raise an error. *raise_error* is **bit**, with a default of 1. This means that errors will appear. 0 causes no error messages to appear.  
  
## Return Code Values  
 0 (success) or 1 (failure)  
  
## Permissions  
 Requires membership in the **public** role.  
  
## See Also  
 [Database Engine Stored Procedures (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/database-engine-stored-procedures-transact-sql.md)   
 [Data Types (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/data-types/data-types-transact-sql.md)   
 [NCHAR (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/nchar-transact-sql.md)   
 [nchar and nvarchar (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/data-types/nchar-and-nvarchar-transact-sql.md)   
 [ntext, text, and image (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/data-types/ntext-text-and-image-transact-sql.md)   
 [System Stored Procedures (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/system-stored-procedures-transact-sql.md)