Data object definitions

The Data Lake objects available to query through either method are new-line delimited JSON objects and delimited-separator value (DSV) objects.

The Data Catalog object metadata is the source of object definitions for Data Lake queries. The required formats are outlined.

A prerequisite for all queries is Data Catalog metadata for data objects. You may query one or more data objects in a query, and you may combine data object types in the same query. For example, a query may select data from JSON objects joined to DSV objects.

Note: In the Data Catalog, object names are not case-sensitive. In the Data Catalog metadata, properties are case-sensitive. For Compass queries, all object names and property names are case-insensitive. Therefore, do not use duplicate property names in a data object with different capitalization. For example, the Compass query functionality cannot detect a difference between properties named ITEM, Item, and item. Use distinct property names as a rule.

These characters are supported for object names:

  • A through Z in uppercase or lowercase
  • 0 through 9
  • Underscore

These characters are supported for property names:

  • A through Z in uppercase or lowercase
  • 0 through 9
  • Underscore, period, and space

Use double quotes around object names and property names that include an underscore or spaces or begin with a number. Use double quotes around names that are SQL reserved words.

Query syntax is case-insensitive. The documentation uses uppercase to highlight the query functionality and keywords. Uppercase is not required unless specifically noted for a function or keyword.

Data values in Data Lake data objects are case-sensitive. Values such as “ABC” and “abc” are distinct.