Whether objects are case-sensitive or not is partly determined by the underlying operating system. Unix-based systems are case-sensitive, Windows is not, while Mac OS X is usually not, but can be if UFS volumes are used.

Database, table, table aliases and trigger names are affected by the systems case-sensitivity, while index, column, column aliases, stored routine and event names are never case sensitive.

Log file group name are case sensitive.

The lower_case_table_names server system variable plays a key role. It determines whether table names, aliases and database names are compared in a case-sensitive manner. If set to 0 (the default on Unix-based systems), table names and aliases and database names are compared in a case-sensitive manner. If set to 1 (the default on Windows), names are stored in lowercase and not compared in a case-sensitive manner. If set to 2 (the default on Mac OS X), names are stored as declared, but compared in lowercase.

It is thus possible to make Unix-based systems behave like Windows and ignore case-sensitivity, but the reverse is not true, as the underlying Windows filesystem can not support this.

Even on case-insensitive systems, you are required to use the same case consistently within the same statement. The following statement fails, as it refers to the table name in a different case.

SELECT * FROM a_table WHERE A_table.id>10;

For a full list of identifier naming rules, see Identifier Names.