How do I insert (') as a string in SQL table?

 To insert a single quote (') as part of a string into an SQL table, you need to escape it properly, since single quotes are used in SQL to delimit string literals.

Here are a few common methods depending on the SQL database you're using:

1. Using Two Single Quotes (Standard SQL)

In SQL, to include a single quote in a string, you can use two consecutive single quotes (''). This is the standard SQL approach.

For example, if you want to insert the string O'Reilly into a table:

INSERT INTO your_table (your_column) 
VALUES ('O''Reilly');

2. MySQL Specific: Using Backslashes

In MySQL, you can also escape the single quote using a backslash (\), but you need to ensure that the NO_BACKSLASH_ESCAPES mode is not enabled, because this could change the behavior.

Example:

INSERT INTO your_table (your_column) 
VALUES ('O\'Reilly');

3. PostgreSQL Specific: Using E-Strings (for Special Characters)

In PostgreSQL, you can use the E'' syntax to explicitly mark the string as an escape sequence:

INSERT INTO your_table (your_column) 
VALUES (E'O\'Reilly');

However, the standard method of doubling single quotes (as shown in the first example) will also work.

4. SQL Server Specific: Using Two Single Quotes

SQL Server follows the same rule as the standard SQL: you use two single quotes to escape a single quote.

Example:

INSERT INTO your_table (your_column) 
VALUES ('O''Reilly');

Conclusion

In most cases, using two consecutive single quotes ('') is the most widely accepted and portable approach across different SQL databases.