[FLINK-9617] Provide alias for whole records in Table API

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Open
• Priority: Not a Priority
• Resolution: Unresolved
• Affects Version/s: 1.5.0
• Component/s: Table SQL / API
• Labels: auto-deprioritized-major auto-deprioritized-minor auto-unassigned
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Piotr Nowojski
• Created: 19/Jun/18 15:04
• Updated: 29/Dec/21 10:39

Description

In SQL we can provide an alias for whole table to avoid column name collisions between two tables. For example:

SELECT
  SUM(o.amount * r.rate) 
FROM 
  Orders AS o, 
  Rates AS r
WHERE r.currency = o.currency

However that's not possible in table API. In Table API user have to provide aliases for all of the columns, which can be annoying especially if table consists of tens or even hundred of columns

For example I would expect some feature like this:

val result = orders.as('o)
  .join(rates(`o.rowtime).as('r), "o.currency = r.currency")
  .select("SUM(o.amount * r.rate) AS amount")

where rates is a TableFunction.