Example 1: Setting a default alias to avoid qualifying object names SQL> ATTACH 'ALIAS CORP FILENAME corporate_data'; SQL> SET CATALOG 'ADMINISTRATION'; SQL> SET SCHEMA 'PERSONNEL'; SQL> SELECT LAST_NAME FROM EMPLOYEES; %SQL-F-NODEFDB, There is no default database SQL> -- SQL> -- You must qualify the table name because you attached with an alias. SQL> -- SQL> SELECT LAST_NAME FROM CORP.EMPLOYEES; LAST_NAME Ames Andriola Babbin . . . 100 rows selected SQL> SET ALIAS 'CORP'; SQL> -- SQL> -- Now you do not need to qualify the table name EMPLOYEES. SQL> -- SQL> SELECT LAST_NAME FROM EMPLOYEES; LAST_NAME Ames Andriola Babbin . . . 100 rows selected Example 2: Changing the default alias Use the SHOW DATABASE statement to see the database settings. SQL> ATTACH 'FILENAME personnel'; SQL> ATTACH 'ALIAS corp FILENAME corporate_data'; SQL> -- SQL> -- The default alias, RDB$DBHANDLE, refers to PERSONNEL SQL> -- to simplify references to CORPORATE_DATA make this SQL> -- database the default alias SQL> -- SQL> SET ALIAS 'CORP'; . . .