diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 170f4a0..f5860d2 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 	* EOAccess/EOGenericRecord.h/m ([-entity]): New category.
 	* EOAccess/GNUmakefile (EOGenericRecord): Build and install new
 	category.
+
+	* EOControl/EOPrivate.h/m (GDL2_isLegalDBName): New function.
+	* EOQualifier.m (getKey): Validate qualifier bind variable key.
 	
 2009-02-18  David Ayers  <ayers@fsfe.org>
 
diff --git a/EOControl/EOPrivate.h b/EOControl/EOPrivate.h
index c57635b..7032596 100644
--- a/EOControl/EOPrivate.h
+++ b/EOControl/EOPrivate.h
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ GDL2CONTROL_EXPORT unsigned int EOMKKDInitializer_indexForKeyWithImpPtr(EOMKKDIn
 // ==== EOEditingContext ====
 
 GDL2CONTROL_EXPORT id EOEditingContext_objectForGlobalIDWithImpPtr(EOEditingContext* edContext,IMP* impPtr,EOGlobalID* gid);
-EOGlobalID* EOEditingContext_globalIDForObjectWithImpPtr(EOEditingContext* edContext,IMP* impPtr,id object);
+GDL2CONTROL_EXPORT EOGlobalID* EOEditingContext_globalIDForObjectWithImpPtr(EOEditingContext* edContext,IMP* impPtr,id object);
 GDL2CONTROL_EXPORT id EOEditingContext_recordObjectGlobalIDWithImpPtr(EOEditingContext* edContext,IMP* impPtr,id object,EOGlobalID* gid);
 
 
@@ -371,6 +371,10 @@ GDL2CONTROL_EXPORT id EOEditingContext_recordObjectGlobalIDWithImpPtr(EOEditingC
 GDL2CONTROL_EXPORT void EOHashAddTable(NSHashTable *to, NSHashTable *from);
 
 
+// ==== hash convienience functions ====
+
+GDL2CONTROL_EXPORT BOOL GDL2_isLegalDBName(NSString *name);
+
 // ==== Memory Management Utilities ====
 
 @interface NSObject (DeallocHack)
diff --git a/EOControl/EOPrivate.m b/EOControl/EOPrivate.m
index ea617b4..f0f9497 100644
--- a/EOControl/EOPrivate.m
+++ b/EOControl/EOPrivate.m
@@ -642,3 +642,27 @@ static SEL eqSel;
 }
 
 @end
+
+
+BOOL
+GDL2_isLegalDBName(NSString* name)
+{
+  static NSCharacterSet *illegalSet = nil;
+  NSRange range;
+  
+  if (illegalSet == nil)
+    {
+      NSMutableCharacterSet *mutableSet;
+      illegalSet = [NSCharacterSet alphanumericCharacterSet];
+      mutableSet = AUTORELEASE([illegalSet mutableCopy]);
+      [mutableSet addCharactersInString:@"_-"];
+      illegalSet = RETAIN([mutableSet invertedSet]);
+    }
+
+  if (![name length])
+    { 
+      return NO;
+    }
+  range = [name rangeOfCharacterFromSet: illegalSet];
+  return (range.location == NSNotFound) ? YES : NO;
+}
diff --git a/EOControl/EOQualifier.m b/EOControl/EOQualifier.m
index ced6da8..dd74afb 100644
--- a/EOControl/EOQualifier.m
+++ b/EOControl/EOQualifier.m
@@ -502,12 +502,19 @@ getKey(const unichar **cFormat,
   if (classString && (!(quoted || literalNumber)))
     {
       [NSException raise:NSInvalidArgumentException
-		 format:@"expected string literal after cast to class"];
+		   format:@"expected string literal after cast to class"];
     }
 
   /* not sure about this !isQualVar */
   if (isQualVar)
     {
+      if (!GDL2_isLegalDBName(key))
+	{
+	  NSString *format 
+	    = [NSString stringWithFormat: @"illegal qualifier variable $%@",key];
+	  [NSException raise:NSInvalidArgumentException
+		       format:format];
+	}
       key = (id)[[EOQualifierVariable alloc] initWithKey:key];
     }
   else if (isKeyValue)