| Goal | This query audits the schema for semantically weak column identifiers. It identifies columns named with generic nouns (e.g., data, info, value) or context-free technical terms (e.g., id, type, code, date, fk, pk). Such names violate the principle of self-documenting schema design, as they fail to describe the specific domain attribute being stored. To prevent ambiguity—especially in complex joins—column names should carry sufficient semantic context (e.g., product_type instead of type, creation_date instead of date). |
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| Notes | The query considers both names in English and in Estonian. The query excludes some names like database, data_type, and additional_info. |
| Type | Problem detection (Each row in the result could represent a flaw in the design) |
| Reliability | Medium (Medium number of false-positive results) |
| License | MIT (opens in new tab) |
| Fixing Suggestion | Add meaningful context to the name. Rename the column. Give to it more descriptive name. Follow a naming convention. |
| Data Source | INFORMATION_SCHEMA+system catalog |
| SQL Query |
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Collections
This query belongs to the following collections:
Find problems about names
A selection of queries that return information about the names of database objects. Contains all the types of queries - problem detection, software measure, and general overview.
Find problems automatically
Queries, that results point to problems in the database. Each query in the collection produces an initial assessment. However, a human reviewer has the final say as to whether there is a problem or not .
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Find problems about names | A selection of queries that return information about the names of database objects. Contains all the types of queries - problem detection, software measure, and general overview. |
| Find problems automatically | Queries, that results point to problems in the database. Each query in the collection produces an initial assessment. However, a human reviewer has the final say as to whether there is a problem or not . |
Categories
This query is classified under the following categories:
Derived tables
Queries of this category provide information about the derived tables (views, materialized views), which are used to implement virtual data layer.
Naming
Queries of this category provide information about the style of naming.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Derived tables | Queries of this category provide information about the derived tables (views, materialized views), which are used to implement virtual data layer. |
| Naming | Queries of this category provide information about the style of naming. |