Database name with point in it (mail.archive.mdf) not recognised in query analyser of SQL

Apparently the query analyser of sql server does not recognise a
database with a point in it, like
mail.archive.mdf

I receive the following error when I use it:

Server: Msg 911, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Could not locate entry in sysdatabases for database 'mail'. No entry
found with that name. Make sure that the name is entered correctly.

Please help, thanks
Premselect * from master..sysdatabases
where name ='mail.archive'

mdf is not part of the name

Denis the SQL Menace
http://sqlservercode.blogspot.com/

Prem wrote:
> Apparently the query analyser of sql server does not recognise a
> database with a point in it, like
> mail.archive.mdf
> I receive the following error when I use it:
> Server: Msg 911, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
> Could not locate entry in sysdatabases for database 'mail'. No entry
> found with that name. Make sure that the name is entered correctly.
> Please help, thanks
> Prem|||Prem (premmetje@.zonnet.nl) writes:
> Apparently the query analyser of sql server does not recognise a
> database with a point in it, like
> mail.archive.mdf
> I receive the following error when I use it:
> Server: Msg 911, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
> Could not locate entry in sysdatabases for database 'mail'. No entry
> found with that name. Make sure that the name is entered correctly.

Need to use brackets or double quotes for identifiers with characters
that are not identifier characters normally:

USE [mail.archive.mdf]

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se

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