IdentifierBracketing.IncludeBrackets brackets aggregate function name in PIVOT (SUM becomes [SUM]), producing invalid T-SQL #239

Summary

With IdentifierBracketing.IncludeBrackets, the script generator wraps the aggregate function name inside a PIVOT clause in square brackets. The output is invalid T-SQL and fails to parse.

This shows up in SSMS 22.7+ (built-in SQL formatter with identifier_bracketing = IncludeBrackets), because the formatter is built on ScriptDOM.

Repro

Input:

SELECT [p].[2024], [p].[2025]
FROM [#chk] PIVOT (SUM([volume]) FOR [year] IN ([2024], [2025])) AS [p];

Format with IdentifierBracketing = IncludeBrackets (SSMS: Tools > Options > SQL Formatter, or identifier_bracketing = IncludeBrackets in .editorconfig).

Actual output:

... PIVOT ([SUM] ([volume]) FOR [year] IN ([2024], [2025])) AS [p];

Executing the result fails with:

Msg 102, Level 15, State 1
Incorrect syntax near '('.

Expected output: SUM stays unbracketed:

... PIVOT (SUM([volume]) FOR [year] IN ([2024], [2025])) AS [p];

Likely cause

PivotedTableReference.AggregateFunctionIdentifier is a MultiPartIdentifier, and SqlScriptGeneratorVisitor.PivotedTableReference.cs emits it with GenerateFragmentIfNotNull(node.AggregateFunctionIdentifier). That sends it through the normal identifier path in SqlScriptGeneratorVisitor.Identifier.cs, so IncludeBrackets applies to it like a column or table name.

The aggregate name should probably be exempt from bracketing. built_in_function_casing should apply to it instead of identifier_casing, so that with identifier_casing = Lowercase we don't get [sum].

Workaround

Use IdentifierBracketing.Preserve, or rewrite the PIVOT as conditional aggregation (SUM(CASE WHEN [year] = 2024 THEN [volume] END) AS [2024]).

Environment

• SSMS 22.7+ built-in SQL formatter (ScriptDOM-based)