diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 4fb96cab..eb7c6929
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
 *.pyc
 venv
 *.egg*
+# don't commit poetry cache
+.cache 
+# ignore ide specific folders
+.idea
+.vscode
diff --git a/pycds/alembic/versions/78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check.py b/pycds/alembic/versions/78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ec97b15e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pycds/alembic/versions/78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check.py
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+"""Add net_var_name valid identifier check constraint
+
+Revision ID: 78260d36e42b
+Revises: bb2a222a1d4a
+Create Date: 2024-01-04 23:22:47.992791
+
+"""
+from alembic import op
+from pycds import get_schema_name
+
+# revision identifiers, used by Alembic.
+revision = "78260d36e42b"
+down_revision = "bb2a222a1d4a"
+branch_labels = None
+depends_on = None
+
+schema_name = get_schema_name()
+table_name = "meta_vars"
+constraint_name = "ck_net_var_name_valid_identifier"
+
+
+# Updates existing table data to conform to the new constraint. Because this table is small it is written for
+# readability over pure performance doing each replacement seperately.
+def update_table():
+    op.execute(
+        f"""
+        CREATE EXTENSION unaccent;
+
+        -- strip diacritics from characters to make what we can valid ascii
+        UPDATE {schema_name}.{table_name} SET net_var_name=unaccent(net_var_name);
+        -- replace first characters that aren't letters or underscores with an underscore
+        UPDATE {schema_name}.{table_name} SET net_var_name=regexp_replace(net_var_name, '^[^a-zA-Z_]', '_', 'g');
+        -- replace all other whitespace & non valid characters
+        UPDATE {schema_name}.{table_name} SET net_var_name=regexp_replace(net_var_name, '[^a-zA-Z0-9_$]', '_', 'g');
+        """
+    )
+
+
+def regress_table():
+    # kept for convention.
+    # basically impossible to reverse as we can't know what has been removed and what was an underscore already
+    pass
+
+
+def upgrade():
+    update_table()
+    op.create_check_constraint(
+        constraint_name,
+        table_name,
+        "net_var_name ~ '^[a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z0-9_$]*$'",
+        schema=schema_name,
+    )
+
+
+def downgrade():
+    op.drop_constraint(constraint_name, table_name, schema=schema_name, type_="check")
+    op.execute("DROP EXTENSION unaccent;")
+    regress_table()
diff --git a/pycds/database.py b/pycds/database.py
index 145a0d74..e1f39e38 100644
--- a/pycds/database.py
+++ b/pycds/database.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 
 def check_migration_version(
-    executor, schema_name=get_schema_name(), version="bb2a222a1d4a"
+    executor, schema_name=get_schema_name(), version="78260d36e42b"
 ):
     """Check that the migration version of the database schema is compatible
     with the current version of this package.
diff --git a/pycds/orm/tables.py b/pycds/orm/tables.py
index 7f29dafd..21070736 100644
--- a/pycds/orm/tables.py
+++ b/pycds/orm/tables.py
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 from sqlalchemy.orm import relationship, synonym
 from sqlalchemy.schema import UniqueConstraint
+from sqlalchemy.schema import CheckConstraint
 from geoalchemy2 import Geometry
 
 from citext import CIText
@@ -297,6 +298,12 @@ class Variable(Base):
         UniqueConstraint(
             "network_id", "net_var_name", name="network_variable_name_unique"
         ),
+        # Values should conform to valid postgres identifiers:
+        # https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-syntax-lexical.html#SQL-SYNTAX-IDENTIFIERS
+        CheckConstraint(
+            "net_var_name ~ '^[a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z0-9_$]*$'",
+            name="ck_net_var_name_valid_identifier",
+        ),
     )
 
     def __repr__(self):
diff --git a/tests/alembic_migrations/test_check_migration_version.py b/tests/alembic_migrations/test_check_migration_version.py
index c822cb0b..58c37f85 100644
--- a/tests/alembic_migrations/test_check_migration_version.py
+++ b/tests/alembic_migrations/test_check_migration_version.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 
 def test_get_current_head():
-    assert get_current_head() == "bb2a222a1d4a"
+    assert get_current_head() == "78260d36e42b"
 
 
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures("new_db_left")
diff --git a/tests/alembic_migrations/versions/v_78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check/__init__.py b/tests/alembic_migrations/versions/v_78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/tests/alembic_migrations/versions/v_78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check/conftest.py b/tests/alembic_migrations/versions/v_78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check/conftest.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..094e18ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/alembic_migrations/versions/v_78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check/conftest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import pytest
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def target_revision():
+    return "78260d36e42b"
diff --git a/tests/alembic_migrations/versions/v_78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check/test_smoke.py b/tests/alembic_migrations/versions/v_78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check/test_smoke.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..13651ba1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/alembic_migrations/versions/v_78260d36e42b_add_net_var_name_valid_identifier_check/test_smoke.py
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+"""Smoke tests:
+- Upgrade adds check constraint to meta_vars.net_var_name such that they are valid sql identifiers 
+    (this boils down to values inserted into the column should not contain whitespace)
+- Check constraint can still enter valid data
+- Check constraint rejects bad data after migration
+"""
+
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+import logging
+import pytest
+from alembic import command
+from sqlalchemy import inspect
+from sqlalchemy.exc import IntegrityError
+from psycopg2.errors import CheckViolation
+
+logger = logging.getLogger("tests")
+
+# this is the revision *before* the migration is to be run.
+prior_revision = "bb2a222a1d4a"
+final_revision = "78260d36e42b"
+
+
+def get_insert_statement(schema_name, insertion_value, vars_id=1):
+    return (
+        f"INSERT INTO {schema_name}.meta_vars(vars_id, net_var_name, standard_name, cell_method, display_name)\n"
+        f"VALUES ({vars_id}, '{insertion_value}', 'test', 'test', 'test');\n"
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("new_db_left")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "prepared_schema_from_migrations_left", (prior_revision,), indirect=True
+)
+def test_upgrade(
+    prepared_schema_from_migrations_left,
+    alembic_config_left,
+    schema_name,
+):
+    """test migration from bb2a222a1d4a to 78260d36e42b."""
+
+    # Set up database to version bb2a222a1d4a (previous migration)
+    engine, script = prepared_schema_from_migrations_left
+
+    # (insertion_id, insertion_value, expected_value)
+    test_values = [
+        (1, "bad var name with whitespace", "bad_var_name_with_whitespace"),
+        (2, "bad\nnewline", "bad_newline"),
+        (3, "bad-dash", "bad_dash"),
+        (4, "1badnumber", "_badnumber"),
+        (5, "$badDollar", "_badDollar"),
+        (6, "schön", "schon"),
+        (7, "forêt", "foret"),
+        (8, "tréma", "trema"),
+    ]
+
+    def inserter(x):
+        return get_insert_statement(schema_name, x[2], x[0])
+
+    statement = "\n".join(list(map(inserter, test_values)))
+    engine.execute(statement)
+
+    command.upgrade(alembic_config_left, "+1")
+
+    result = engine.execute(
+        f"SELECT vars_id, net_var_name FROM {schema_name}.meta_vars ORDER BY vars_id"
+    )
+
+    for index, row in enumerate(result):
+        test_sample = test_values[index]
+        assert row == (test_sample[0], test_sample[2])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("new_db_left")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "prepared_schema_from_migrations_left", (final_revision,), indirect=True
+)
+def test_downgrade(
+    prepared_schema_from_migrations_left,
+    alembic_config_left,
+    schema_name,
+):
+    """test migration from 78260d36e42b to bb2a222a1d4a."""
+
+    # Set up database to version bb2a222a1d4a (previous migration)
+    engine, script = prepared_schema_from_migrations_left
+
+    statement = get_insert_statement(schema_name, "good_var_name_with_underscores")
+    engine.execute(statement)
+
+    command.downgrade(alembic_config_left, "-1")
+
+    result = engine.execute(
+        f"SELECT vars_id, net_var_name FROM {schema_name}.meta_vars"
+    )
+
+    row = next(result)
+
+    # After migration is run, bad strings should have whitespace replaced with underscores
+    assert row == (1, "good_var_name_with_underscores")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("new_db_left")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "prepared_schema_from_migrations_left", (final_revision,), indirect=True
+)
+# Correct values should conform to https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-syntax-lexical.html#SQL-SYNTAX-IDENTIFIERS
+# Notably numbers and $ are allowed, but not as the first character
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "test_value",
+    ["allow_underscores", "allowfullwords", "allowCapitals", "allowNumbers123"],
+)
+def test_check_good_constraint_values(
+    prepared_schema_from_migrations_left, schema_name, test_value
+):
+    # Set up database to version 78260d36e42b (after migration)
+    engine, script = prepared_schema_from_migrations_left
+
+    statement = get_insert_statement(schema_name, test_value)
+    engine.execute(statement)
+
+    result = engine.execute(
+        f"SELECT vars_id, net_var_name FROM {schema_name}.meta_vars"
+    )
+
+    row = next(result)
+
+    assert row == (1, test_value)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("new_db_left")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "prepared_schema_from_migrations_left", (final_revision,), indirect=True
+)
+# Correct values should conform to https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-syntax-lexical.html#SQL-SYNTAX-IDENTIFIERS
+# Notably numbers and $ are allowed, but not as the first character
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "test_value",
+    [
+        "bad space",
+        "bad\nnewline",
+        "bad-dash",
+        "1badnumber",
+        "$badDollar",
+        "schön",
+        "forêt",
+        "tréma",
+    ],
+)
+def test_check_bad_constraint_values(
+    prepared_schema_from_migrations_left, schema_name, test_value
+):
+    # Set up database to version 78260d36e42b (after migration)
+    engine, script = prepared_schema_from_migrations_left
+    # This test passes bad data and expects an integrity error back from SQLAlchemy when executed
+    with pytest.raises(IntegrityError) as excinfo:
+        statement = get_insert_statement(schema_name, test_value)
+        engine.execute(statement)
+
+    # The specific exception raised by psycopg2 is stored internally in SQLAlchemy's IntegrityError
+    # By checking this inner exception we can know that it is specifically a Check Constraint violation
+    assert isinstance(excinfo.value.orig, CheckViolation)
diff --git a/tests/helpers.py b/tests/helpers.py
index e6c45ab7..e8e9a02f 100644
--- a/tests/helpers.py
+++ b/tests/helpers.py
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ def action(sesh):
 
         variables = [
             TestVariable(
-                "air-temperature",
+                "air_temperature",
                 "degC",
                 "air_temperature",
                 "time: point",
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ def action(sesh):
                 moti,
             ),
             TestVariable(
-                "average-direction",
+                "average_direction",
                 "km/h",
                 "wind_from_direction",
                 "time: mean",
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ def action(sesh):
                 moti,
             ),
             TestVariable(
-                "dew-point",
+                "dew_point",
                 "degC",
                 "dew_point_temperature",
                 "time: point",