When a user runs any database client, they typically enter a user ID and password as their user credentials, and are often prompted to enter the user and domain name separately. Some of these clients might also run with the default blank user ID (blank user and domain name) if the blank user ID is enabled for database access (using database administration tools) and the application otherwise supports it. However, an SQL client has no single default identity and always requires a non-blank user ID.

The following table shows the supported formats with which a user can enter a user ID that is directly interpreted by OpenEdge. These formats are necessary because OpenEdge supports multiple domains, and many users have legacy user accounts that never supported domains. If these legacy accounts are now configured with the default domain, users can enter their non-qualified user ID as they did when it had no domain configured for it.

Table 1. Formats for entering an OpenEdge user ID
This format... Means...
No entry (internally, "") The blank user in the default (blank) domain
@ The blank user in the default domain
@domain-name The blank user in the specified domain
user-name The specified user in the default domain
user-name@ The specified user in the default domain
user-name@domain-name The specified user in the specified domain