column-name = ---+----------->-----------------+-> <name-of-column> --> +-> <table-name> -------+> . -+ +-> <view-name> --------+ +-> <correlation-name> -+ You can name columns in CREATE TABLE and ALTER TABLE statements. In other SQL statements, the names you give to columns can be qualified by table name, view names, or aliases. The only time you must qualify column names is when they are ambiguous. Joining a table with itself and joining two tables with common column names are two cases that require qualified column names. You always have the option of qualifying column names. In complex statements, such qualifiers often make the statements more readable.