RENAME (Transact-SQL)
Applies to: 
Azure Synapse Analytics
Analytics Platform System (PDW)
Renames a user-created table in Azure Synapse Analytics. Renames a user-created table, a column in a user-created table or database in Analytics Platform System (PDW).
This article applies to Azure Synapse Analytics and Analytics Platform System (PDW) only:
- To rename a database in SQL Server, use the stored procedure sp_renamedb.
- To rename a database in Azure SQL Database, use the ALTER DATABASE (Azure SQL Database) statement.
- Renaming standalone dedicated SQL pools (formerly SQL DW) is supported. Renaming a dedicated SQL pool in Azure Synapse Analytics workspaces isn't currently supported.
- This syntax is not supported by serverless SQL pool in Azure Synapse Analytics.
Syntax
-- Syntax for Azure Synapse Analytics
-- Rename a table.
RENAME OBJECT [::] [ [ database_name . [schema_name ] ] . ] | [schema_name . ] ] table_name TO new_table_name
[;]
-- Syntax for Analytics Platform System (PDW)
-- Rename a table
RENAME OBJECT [::] [ [ database_name . [ schema_name ] . ] | [ schema_name . ] ] table_name TO new_table_name
[;]
-- Rename a database
RENAME DATABASE [::] database_name TO new_database_name
[;]
-- Rename a column
RENAME OBJECT [::] [ [ database_name . [schema_name ] ] . ] | [schema_name . ] ] table_name COLUMN column_name TO new_column_name [;]
Arguments
RENAME OBJECT [::] [ [database_name . [ schema_name ] . ] | [ schema_name . ] ] table_name TO new_table_name
Applies to: Azure Synapse Analytics, Analytics Platform System (PDW)
Change the name of a user-defined table. Specify the table to be renamed with a one-, two-, or three-part name. Specify the new table new_table_name as a one-part name.
RENAME DATABASE [::] [ database_name TO new_database_name
Applies to: Analytics Platform System (PDW)
Change the name of a user-defined database from database_name to new_database_name. You can't rename a database to any of the following Analytics Platform System (PDW) reserved database names:
mastermodelmsdbtempdbpdwtempdb1pdwtempdb2DWConfigurationDWDiagnosticsDWQueue
RENAME OBJECT [::] [ [database_name . [ schema_name ] . ] | [ schema_name . ] ]table_name COLUMN column_name TO new_column_name
Applies to: Analytics Platform System (PDW)
Change the name of a column in a table.
Permissions
To run this command, you need this permission:
- ALTER permission on the table
Limitations and Restrictions
Cannot rename an external table, indexes, or views
You can't rename an external table, indexes, or views. Instead of renaming, you can drop the external table, index, or view and then re-create it with the new name.
Cannot rename a table in use
You can't rename a table or database while it is in use. Renaming a table requires an exclusive lock on the table. If the table is in use, you may need to terminate sessions that are using the table. To terminate a session, you can use the KILL command. Use KILL cautiously since when a session is terminated any uncommitted work will be rolled back. Sessions in Azure Synapse Analytics are prefixed by 'SID'. Include 'SID' and the session number when invoking the KILL command. This example views a list of active or idle sessions and then terminates session 'SID1234'.
Rename column restrictions
You can't rename a column that is used for the table's distribution. You also can't rename any columns in an external table or a temp table.
Views are not updated
When renaming a database, all views that use the former database name will become invalid. This behavior applies to views both inside and outside the database. For example, if the Sales database is renamed, a view that contains SELECT * FROM Sales.dbo.table1 will become invalid. To resolve this issue, you can either avoid using three-part names in views, or update the views to reference the new database name.
When renaming a table, views aren't updated to reference the new table name. Each view, inside or outside of the database, that references the former table name will become invalid. To resolve this issue, you can update each view to reference the new table name.
When renaming a column, views aren't updated to reference the new column name. Views will keep showing the old column name until an alter view is performed. In certain cases, views can become invalid needing a drop and recreate.
Locking
Renaming a table takes a shared lock on the DATABASE object, a shared lock on the SCHEMA object, and an exclusive lock on the table.
Examples
A. Rename a database
Applies to: Analytics Platform System (PDW) only
This example renames the user-defined database AdWorks to AdWorks2.
-- Rename the user defined database AdWorks
RENAME DATABASE AdWorks to AdWorks2;
When renaming a table, all objects and properties associated with the table are updated to reference the new table name. For example, table definitions, indexes, constraints, and permissions are updated. Views aren't updated.
B. Rename a table
Applies to: Azure Synapse Analytics, Analytics Platform System (PDW)
This example renames the Customer table to Customer1.
-- Rename the customer table
RENAME OBJECT Customer TO Customer1;
RENAME OBJECT mydb.dbo.Customer TO Customer1;
When renaming a table, all objects and properties associated with the table are updated to reference the new table name. For example, table definitions, indexes, constraints, and permissions are updated. Views aren't updated.
C. Move a table to a different schema
Applies to: Azure Synapse Analytics, Analytics Platform System (PDW)
If your intent is to move the object to a different schema, use ALTER SCHEMA. For example, the following statement moves the table item from the product schema to the dbo schema.
ALTER SCHEMA dbo TRANSFER OBJECT::product.item;
D. Terminate sessions before renaming a table
Applies to: Azure Synapse Analytics, Analytics Platform System (PDW)
You can't rename a table while it is in use. A rename of a table requires an exclusive lock on the table. If the table is in use, you may need to terminate the session using the table. To terminate a session, you can use the KILL command. Use KILL cautiously since when a session is terminated any uncommitted work will be rolled back. Sessions in Azure Synapse Analytics are prefixed by 'SID'. You'll need to include 'SID' and the session number when invoking the KILL command. This example views a list of active or idle sessions and then terminates session 'SID1234'.
-- View a list of the current sessions
SELECT session_id, login_name, status
FROM sys.dm_pdw_exec_sessions
WHERE status='Active' OR status='Idle';
-- Terminate a session using the session_id.
KILL 'SID1234';
E. Rename a column
Applies to: Analytics Platform System (PDW)
This example renames the FName column of the Customer table to FirstName.
-- Rename the Fname column of the customer table
RENAME OBJECT::Customer COLUMN FName TO FirstName;
RENAME OBJECT mydb.dbo.Customer COLUMN FName TO FirstName;
Next steps
Feedback
Coming soon: Throughout 2024 we will be phasing out GitHub Issues as the feedback mechanism for content and replacing it with a new feedback system. For more information see: https://aka.ms/ContentUserFeedback.
Submit and view feedback for