Basic MapServer query of PostgreSQL/PostGIS database

I've just installed MapServer on a linux server and I am trying to understand how to display a basic map using a PostGIS database. I have displayed a shapefile in the browser, so I know that the mapserver setup works. My mapfile is as follows:

MAP

        NAME "sample"
        EXTENT -180 -90 180 90 # Geographic
        SIZE 800 400


        LAYER
          CONNECTIONTYPE postgis
          NAME "roads"
          CONNECTION "user=username password=**** dbname=databasename host=hostdb.com port=5432"
          DATA "geom from public."MLSOA"" 
          STATUS ON
          TYPE LINE
          CLASS
                STYLE

                  COLOR 0 0 0
                END
          END
        END


END # end of map file

I then call this by using a url string:

http://mysite.com/mapserv.cgi?map=/home/user/webapps/htdocs/mapfile_pg.map&layer=roads&mode=map

However, I get the error:

loadLayer(): Unknown identifier. Parsing error near (MLSOA_London):(line 11) 

I have also tried calling my database just MLSOA and 'MLSOA'. If I use the line DATA "geom from MLSOA" I get the following error:

msDrawMap(): Image handling error. Failed to draw layer named 'roads'. msPostGISLayerWhichShapes(): Query error. Error (ERROR: relation "mlsoa" does not exist ) executing query: select encode(ST_AsBinary(ST_Force_2D("geom"),'NDR'),'hex') as geom,"gid" from MLSOA where geom && GeomFromText('POLYGON((-180.225563909774 -90,-180.225563909774 90,180.225563909774 90,180.225563909774 -90,-180.225563909774 -90))',find_srid('','MLSOA','geom')) 

I think that the problem is with the table name, but I'm not sure how it should be named. Using pgAdminIII, if I want to run a query on this table I use the following syntax:

select getsrid(the_geom) from public."MLSOA" limit 10

What is the correct syntax for my mapfile?

Answer

Postgres naming is case sentitive (it's the only one db that I'm aware of that has this feature) that is why you have to use the double quotes in your query in pgAdmin.

In the .map file Unix-style escaping should work:

DATA "geom from public.\"MLSOA\"" 

Manual registration of the geometry column(s) can be performed as documented here:

http://postgis.refractions.net/docs/ch04.html#Manual_Register_Spatial_Column