> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lancedb.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Naming rules

> Choose portable names for your data objects and namespace paths.

## Naming rules

Databases, namespaces, tables and views 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 |

* 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

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](https://docs.lancedb.com/sql/dql/select.md#namespaces).

The empty path `[]` identifies the root namespace.

## 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 |

## Learn more

* [Namespaces](https://docs.lancedb.com/management/namespace.md): create namespaces and address tables.
* [Limits](https://docs.lancedb.com/basics/limits.md): check other constraints before designing your schema.


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