IBM GC09-2830-00 - Manual (Page 178)

Database alias names are synonyms given to remote databases. Database aliases
must be unique within the System Database Directory in which all aliases are
stored.
When naming a database or database alias, see “General Naming Rules” on
page 165.
In addition, the name you specify can only contain 1 to 8 characters.
To avoid potential problems, do not use the special characters @, #,
and $ in a database name if you intend to have a client remotely
connect to a host database. Also, because these characters are not
common to all keyboards, do not use them if you plan to use the
database in another country.
On Windows NT systems, ensure that no instance name is the same
as a service name.
Object Name Rules
Database objects include:
v Tables
v Views
v Columns
v Indexes
v User-defined functions (UDFs)
v User-defined types (UDTs)
v Triggers
v Aliases
v Table spaces
v Schemas
When naming database objects, see “General Naming Rules” on page 165.
In addition, the name you specify:
v Can contain 1 to 18 characters except for the following:
– Table names (including view names, summary table names, alias names,
and correlation names), which can contain up to 128 characters; and
– column names, which can contain up to 30 characters
v Cannot be any of the SQL reserved words that are listed in the SQL
Reference.
166 Quick Beginnings