mirror of
https://github.com/lancedb/lancedb.git
synced 2026-11-14 06:36:54 +00:00
Brendan Clement
1db0d3ca5f
Labels early access features and hides features we aren't documenting yet. **Early access label:** Functions (4 pages, plus the GPU refresh, checkpointing and adaptive execution pages), Secrets (3 pages), Tiered Index Cache, Blob V2, and merge insert, which is labelled for Enterprise only. Two sidebar titles are shorter so the tag fits. **Hidden:** branching, JSON columns and geospatial. - The JSON functions page and the agent branch-experiments tutorial go in `.mintignore`. - `tables/branching` stays reachable but out of the nav, as #4859 left it, because SDK error messages link to it. - Other pages' mentions of these features become draft comments, so they're easy to restore. **Secrets page:** drops references to manual KMS setup, which the control plane handles. It keeps the encryption-at-rest facts, states the Azure value-size limit inline, and points a 501 error to support.
73 lines
3.1 KiB
Plaintext
73 lines
3.1 KiB
Plaintext
---
|
|
title: "Naming rules"
|
|
sidebarTitle: "Naming Rules"
|
|
description: "Choose portable names for your data objects and namespace paths."
|
|
icon: signature
|
|
keywords: ["names", "naming", "table name", "namespace", "identifier", "limits"]
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
## Naming rules {#rules}
|
|
|
|
<span id="objects" />
|
|
|
|
Databases, namespaces, tables and views all have names.{/* Draft until branching reaches early access: restore "Databases, namespaces, tables, views and branches all have names." */} Choose names
|
|
that describe their purpose, such as `documents`, `prod` or `training_2026`.
|
|
Consistent names make data easier to find and application code easier to read.
|
|
|
|
Use the following rules for names that work across LanceDB Embedded and LanceDB Enterprise.
|
|
|
|
| Object | Characters | Length |
|
|
| --- | --- | --- |
|
|
| Table, materialized view, view | ASCII letters and digits, `-`, `_`, `.` | 1 to 128 characters |
|
|
| Namespace component | ASCII letters and digits, `-`, `_`, `.` | 1 to 64 characters; at most 10 components in a path |
|
|
| Database | ASCII letters and digits, `-`, `_`, `.`, with `/` between components | 1 to 64 characters for the whole name |
|
|
| Secret | ASCII letters and digits, `-`, `_`, `.` | 1 to 128 characters |
|
|
| Function | ASCII letters and digits, `_` | 1 to 128 characters |
|
|
|
|
{/*
|
|
Draft until branching reaches early access; restore after the Database row.
|
|
| Branch | Avoid `$` and `:`; use ASCII letters, digits, `-` and `_` for portability | Keep to 1 to 64 characters |
|
|
*/}
|
|
|
|
- Names and individual namespace or database components must not be empty.
|
|
- Table, view, namespace and database components cannot be `.` or `..`.
|
|
- Secret names cannot be `.` or `..`.
|
|
- Avoid `$` and `:` because they separate parts of qualified identifiers.
|
|
- A namespace path beginning with `public` cannot contain another component.
|
|
|
|
## Namespace paths {#paths}
|
|
|
|
A namespace path is a list of names. `["prod", "search"]` identifies the
|
|
`search` namespace within `prod`. A table named `documents` belongs to that
|
|
namespace; its table name remains `documents`.
|
|
|
|
Use the SDK's namespace-path argument to supply the list. A period inside an
|
|
SDK name is a character in that name, not a separator that creates another
|
|
namespace. SQL uses its own qualified-name syntax; see
|
|
[SQL namespace paths](/sql/dql/select#namespaces).
|
|
|
|
The empty path `[]` identifies the root namespace.
|
|
|
|
## Examples {#examples}
|
|
|
|
| Name or path | Guidance |
|
|
| --- | --- |
|
|
| `documents`, `user-events.v2`, `train_2026` | Portable table names |
|
|
| `["prod", "search"]` | A two-component namespace path |
|
|
| `my table` | Use `my_table` instead of a space |
|
|
| `orders$2026` | Use `orders_2026`; `$` is reserved |
|
|
| `résumés` | Use an ASCII name such as `resumes` |
|
|
| `["public", "search"]` | Invalid nesting under `public`; use a different parent namespace |
|
|
|
|
<span id="which-versions-check-them" />
|
|
|
|
## Learn more {#next}
|
|
|
|
- [Namespaces](/management/namespace): create namespaces and address tables.
|
|
- [Limits](/basics/limits): check other constraints before designing your schema.
|
|
|
|
{/*
|
|
Draft until branching reaches early access; restore after Namespaces.
|
|
- [Branches](/tables/branching): name and manage separate lines of table history.
|
|
*/}
|