Which SQL data type requires quotes when creating queries?

Text data in SQL requires quotes when creating queries to differentiate it from other data types such as integers and numeric values. This is crucial because SQL needs to clearly understand which items are strings (text) and which are numerical for processing the query correctly.

When inputting text data as part of a query, wrapping the string in single quotes (or sometimes double quotes, depending on the SQL dialect) indicates to the database system that the enclosed value is a literal string rather than a variable or a column name. For example, if you want to query a name from a table, it would need to look like this: SELECT * FROM users WHERE name = 'John Doe';.

In contrast, integers, numeric values, and boolean values do not require quotes because they are treated as numerical or logical data types. This distinction helps the SQL engine efficiently handle and process different kinds of data during execution.