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    ApsaraDB RDS:What do I do if the "relation "xxx" already exists" error message is displayed when I attempt to modify a table name in an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance?

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    ApsaraDB RDS:What do I do if the "relation "xxx" already exists" error message is displayed when I attempt to modify a table name in an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance?

    Last Updated:Aug 24, 2023

    Problem description

    I execute the following SQL statement to modify a capitalized table name in my ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance: 

    alter table testtable rename to TESTTABLE

    The following error message is returned:

    ERROR: relation "testtable" already exists

    Causes

    In ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL, table names are not case-sensitive by default.

    Solutions

    Enclose a capitalized table name in double quotation marks ("). Example:

    alter table testtable rename "TESTTABLE";
    Note

    You must use the capitalized table name for subsequent queries.

    Applicable scope

    ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL