case sensitivity on table & column names / workaround?

From: postgresql(dot)org(at)tgice(dot)com
To: pgsql-odbc(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: case sensitivity on table & column names / workaround?
Date: 2006-06-15 18:13:31
Message-ID: 4491A34B.3040704@tgice.com
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Hi guys,

Once again, as with my last post, this may be slightly off topic for the
ODBC list, but I thought I'd try here again.

I'm attempting to get a MSSQL 7 server to replicate a few tables (some
of which are large) to a PG 8.0 installation. I only recently was
pleasantly surprised to find that MSSQL 7 is supposed to support
replication (even at a transactional level) to basically any ODBC driver
which has a few features, which Postgres's seems to have.

I also read this very helpful blog entry:

http://people.planetpostgresql.org/mha/index.php?/archives/87-Replicating-from-MS-SQL-Server-to-PostgreSQL.html

which help me over a few initial bumps in the road.

One issue that the poster didn't seem to address and that I'm now
struggling with is not one of great importance, since there is a known
workaround, it just could be incredibly painful up front and then a
large annoyance down the road.

It has to do with case sensitivity on table & column identifiers. I'm
fairly sure I understand how it works in Postgres, after experiencing it
earlier, and reading this section of the docs:

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.0/static/sql-syntax.html#SQL-SYNTAX-IDENTIFIERS

The tables & columns in my MSSQL 7 database have capitalization, like
"TableName" and "ColumnName". When MSSQL prepares the DDL & DML
statements to go through ODBC, it appears that it is double quoting all
of the identifiers. If it wouldn't do this, or if I could optionally
control it, this would all go away. But since it does, PG correctly
creates the objects with the original capitalization.

The problem that causes me in my SQL on the PG side is that while I have
written it with the same capitalization, for readability, I don't put
double quotes on the identifiers, you know, because it's a pain in the ass.

So as far as I can see, my options are:

1) Change *all* of my present and future PG code for this database (that
touches the MSSQL tables, at least) to always surround table & column
names with double quotes.

2) Figure out a way to get MSSQL or the PG ODBC driver to drop or ignore
those double quotes on the SQL coming from the replication process.

3) Figure out a way for PG to modify its behavior and allow
non-double-quoted identifiers to match ones that were originally double
quoted.

So I'm coming to the list to see if you guys have any idea how I might
accomplish anything in the area of #2 or #3. I wouldn't expect you to
have any pointers on changing MSSQL's behavior, but thought perhaps
there's something I could shove around in the ODBC driver or in the PG
configuration itself (though I'm not holding my breath on it).

Pardon my gratuitous verbosity (and perhaps that phrase's redundancy?).
For those of you who are still reading, I'd appreciate hearing your
thoughts.

Thanks,

John

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