# Why camelCase field names become SNAKE\_CASE DB tables

**URL:** <https://forum.getodk.org/t/why-camelcase-field-names-become-snake-case-db-tables/12128>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [March 6, 2018, 3:56pm UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/why-camelcase-field-names-become-snake-case-db-tables/12128 "2018-03-06T15:56:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![oiclid](https://getodk.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@oiclid](https://forum.getodk.org/u/oiclid)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 3:56pm UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/why-camelcase-field-names-become-snake-case-db-tables/12128/1 "2018-03-06T15:56:38Z")

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> [@Introduce yourself here!](https://forum.getodk.org/t/introduce-yourself-here/6671/5):
>
> FUN FACT
> 
> Did you know that camelCased XLSForm field names will become SNAKE\_CASED MySQL table attributes?
> 
> When you design an XLSForm and your naming convention for the field names is camelCase, on the back-end part, the generated MySQL table attributes will be rendered upper cased snake\_case.

Do you have any idea why?

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**Author:** ![Abel\_Melquiades\_Call](https://getodk.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/forum.getodk.org/abel_melquiades_call/32/1727_2.png) [@Abel\_Melquiades\_Call](https://forum.getodk.org/u/Abel_Melquiades_Call)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 7:47am UTC](https://forum.getodk.org/t/why-camelcase-field-names-become-snake-case-db-tables/12128/2 "2018-03-07T07:47:12Z")

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I remember one time while I was snooping through the codes of the **ODK Aggregate** , I noticed that there were _Java classes_ written specifically for making the field names become SNAKE\_CASED.

I can't remember the exact file though but it is [somewhere here in the source-code](https://github.com/opendatakit/aggregate/tree/master/src/main/java/org/opendatakit).