ASA SQL User's Guide
Queries: Selecting Data from a Table
The WHERE clause: specifying rows
When you enter or search for character and date data, you must enclose it in single quotes, as in the following example.
SELECT first_name, last_name FROM contact WHERE first_name = 'John'
If the quoted_identifier database option is set to OFF (it is ON by default), you can also use double quotes around character or date data.
Interactive SQL automatically sets quoted_identifier to ON for the duration of the Interactive SQL session.
To set the quoted_identifier option off for the current user ID
Type the following command:
SET OPTION quoted_identifier = 'OFF'
The quoted_identifier option is provided for compatibility with Adaptive Server Enterprise. By default, the Adaptive Server Enterprise option is quoted_identifier OFF and the Adaptive Server Anywhere option is quoted_identifier ON.
There are two ways to specify literal quotations within a character entry. The first method is to use two consecutive quotation marks. For example, if you have begun a character entry with a single quotation mark and want to include a single quotation mark as part of the entry, use two single quotation marks:
'I don''t understand.'
With double quotation marks (quoted_identifier OFF):
"He said, ""It is not really confusing."""
The second method, applicable only with quoted_identifier OFF, is to enclose a quotation in the other kind of quotation mark. In other words, surround an entry containing double quotation marks with single quotation marks, or vice versa. Here are some examples:
'George said, "There must be a better way."' "Isn't there a better way?" 'George asked, "Isn''t there a better way?"'