> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.risingwave.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Literals

> Literals play a crucial role in enhancing the accuracy of data representation and optimizing system efficiency. See the following subsections for the introduction of various types of literals.

## String literals

### Standard string literals

A string literal is a sequence of characters enclosed within single quotes ('). For example, `'Database'` is a string literal.

To include a single-quote character within a string literal, you can use two consecutive single quotes. For example, `'Stream processing''s advantages'` is a valid string literal that incorporates a single-quote character.

### String literals with C-style escapes[](#string-literals-with-c-style-escapes "Direct link to String literals with C-style escapes")

String literals with C-style escapes use escape sequences to represent special characters within a string, just as in the C programming language. These literals are constructed by prepending the letter `e` to the string literal. For example, `e'abc\n\tdef'`.

The following escape sequences are supported:

| Escape sequence           | Interpretation                             |
| :------------------------ | :----------------------------------------- |
| \b                        | backspace                                  |
| \f                        | form feed                                  |
| \n                        | newline                                    |
| \r                        | carriage return                            |
| \t                        | tab                                        |
| \o, \oo, \ooo (o = 0–7)   | octal byte value                           |
| \xh, \xhh (h = 0–9, A–F)  | hexadecimal byte value                     |
| \uXXXX (x = 0–9, A–F)     | 16-bit hexadecimal Unicode character value |
| \UXXXXXXXX (x = 0–9, A–F) | 32-bit hexadecimal Unicode character value |

## Numeric literals

RisingWave supports expressing numeric literals in various number systems, including decimal (base 10), hexadecimal (base 16), octal (base 8), and binary (base 2). Here are some examples:

```bash theme={null}
2147       -- Decimal
0x42e3     -- Hexadecimal
0o664      -- Octal
0b1101     -- Binary

```

Numeric literals in different bases provide you with flexibility in choosing the most suitable representation for specific needs.