PostgreSQL 2200D Error: Causes and Solutions Complete Guide
PostgreSQL Error 2200D: invalid escape octet The 2200D: invalid escape octet error occurs in PostgreSQL when a bytea value contains an invalid escape sequence. This typically happens with the legacy escape format for binary data, where octet values must be represented as three-digit octal numbers in the range \000 to \377 . If the escape sequence falls outside this range or uses non-octal digits, PostgreSQL raises this error immediately. Top 3 Causes 1. Out-of-range octal values in bytea escape literals The bytea escape format only accepts octal values from \000 to \377 (decimal 0–255). Using values like \400 or non-octal digits like \9 will trigger this error. -- BAD: \400 exceeds valid octal range (max is \377) SELECT E ' \\ 400' :: bytea ; -- ERROR: invalid escape octet -- BAD: \9 is not a valid octal digit SELECT E ' \\ 9AB' :: bytea ; -- ERROR: invalid escape octet -- GOOD: valid octal escape sequences SELECT E ' \\ 377' :: bytea ; -- decimal 255 SELECT E ' \\ 101' :: bytea ; -- 'A' character SELECT E ' \\ 000' :: bytea ; -- null byte 2. Using escape format strings with hex output format Since PostgreSQL 9.0, the default bytea_output is hex . Applications that mix hex -format output back into escape -format input processing can generate malformed escape sequences. -- Check current bytea output format SHOW bytea_output ; -- GOOD: Use hex format (recommended for all new projects) SELECT ' \x DEADBEEF' :: bytea ; SELECT ' \x 48656C6C6F' :: bytea ; -- 'Hello' -- GOOD: Use encode/decode for safe conversions SELECT encode ( ' \x DEADBEEF' :: bytea , 'hex' ); -- output as hex string SELECT encode ( ' \x DEADBEEF' :: bytea , 'base64' ); -- output as base64 SELECT decode ( 'deadbeef' , 'hex' ); -- hex string → bytea SELECT decode ( 'SGVsbG8=' , 'base64' ); -- base64 → bytea 3. Incorrect escaping during data migration or manual SQL When migrating binary data from other databases (Oracle, MySQL) or writing raw INSERT statements manually, developers often confuse octal and