MySQL Query involving column names containing math operators

Question

I'm a MySQL scrub, and I have asked around and checked around the internet for what I'm sure will turn out to be something obvious, but I'm very frustrated with what I thought would be a very, very simple query not working. So here goes. Please be gentle.

Basically, in a large database, some of the column names contain mathematical operators like "/" and "+." (Don't ask, it's not my database, I can't do anything about it). Here is the "essence" of my query (I took out the irrelevant stuff for the sake of this question):

  SELECT PlayerId, 
         Season,
         WPA/LI AS WPALI
    FROM tht.stats_batting_master 
   WHERE Season = "2010" 
     AND teamid > 0 
     AND PA >= 502
GROUP BY playerid
ORDER BY WPALI DESC

When I run this, it returns "Unknown column 'LI' in 'field list'," I assume because it sees the "/" in WPA/LI as a division sign. Like I said, I'm sure this is easy enough to work around (it must be given how much this database is used), but I haven't' been able to figure out how.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Thanks, both of you... I knew it would be some elementary piece of MySQL knowledge that my "learn on a need basis" knowledge set would have excluded. It worked. — devil_fingers
– devil_fingers, Commented Jan 12, 2011 at 13:45

OMG Ponies · Accepted Answer · 2011-01-12 05:42:31Z

5

Use backticks to escape such situations:

  SELECT PlayerId, 
         Season,
         `WPA/LI` AS WPALI
    FROM tht.stats_batting_master 
   WHERE Season = "2010" 
     AND teamid > 0 
     AND PA >= 502
GROUP BY playerid
ORDER BY WPALI DESC

answered Jan 12, 2011 at 5:42

OMG Ponies

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Comments

dev.sead · Accepted Answer · 2011-01-12 05:46:01Z

0

Did you try this syndax:

SELECT PlayerId, Season `WPA/LI` AS WPALI
FROM tht.stats_batting_master
WHERE Season="2010" AND teamid>0 AND PA>=502
GROUP BY playerid
ORDER BY WPALI DESC

answered Jan 12, 2011 at 5:46

dev.sead

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1 Comment

devil_fingers Over a year ago

Thanks, I figured it out, I knew it would be something I should have known but didn't with my hodgepodge knowledge of MySQL.

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