diff --git a/monasca_api/common/repositories/influxdb/metrics_repository.py b/monasca_api/common/repositories/influxdb/metrics_repository.py
index b4eab6a90..9dbadedd1 100644
--- a/monasca_api/common/repositories/influxdb/metrics_repository.py
+++ b/monasca_api/common/repositories/influxdb/metrics_repository.py
@@ -118,7 +118,9 @@ class MetricsRepository(metrics_repository.MetricsRepository):
 
         # name - optional
         if name:
-            where_clause += ' from  "{}" '.format(name.encode('utf8'))
+            # replace ' with \' to make query parsable
+            clean_name = name.replace("'", "\\'")
+            where_clause += ' from  "{}" '.format(clean_name.encode('utf8'))
 
         # tenant id
         where_clause += " where _tenant_id = '{}' ".format(tenant_id.encode(
@@ -131,9 +133,13 @@ class MetricsRepository(metrics_repository.MetricsRepository):
         if dimensions:
             for dimension_name, dimension_value in iter(
                     sorted(dimensions.iteritems())):
+                # replace ' with \' to make query parsable
+                clean_dimension_name = dimension_name.replace("\'", "\\'")
+                clean_dimension_value = dimension_value.replace("\'", "\\'")
+
                 where_clause += " and \"{}\" = '{}'".format(
-                    dimension_name.encode('utf8'), dimension_value.encode(
-                        'utf8'))
+                    clean_dimension_name.encode('utf8'),
+                    clean_dimension_value.encode('utf8'))
 
         if start_timestamp is not None:
             where_clause += " and time > " + str(int(start_timestamp *
diff --git a/monasca_api/expression_parser/alarm_expr_parser.py b/monasca_api/expression_parser/alarm_expr_parser.py
index 1b0e08089..01a75e2f7 100644
--- a/monasca_api/expression_parser/alarm_expr_parser.py
+++ b/monasca_api/expression_parser/alarm_expr_parser.py
@@ -189,8 +189,8 @@ valid_identifier_chars = (
 
 metric_name = (
     pyparsing.Word(valid_identifier_chars, min=1, max=255)("metric_name"))
-dimension_name = pyparsing.Word(valid_identifier_chars, min=1, max=255)
-dimension_value = pyparsing.Word(valid_identifier_chars, min=1, max=255)
+dimension_name = pyparsing.Word(valid_identifier_chars + ' ', min=1, max=255)
+dimension_value = pyparsing.Word(valid_identifier_chars + ' ', min=1, max=255)
 
 MINUS = pyparsing.Literal('-')
 integer_number = pyparsing.Word(pyparsing.nums)
@@ -289,6 +289,8 @@ def main():
         "3test_metric5 lt 3",
 
         "ntp.offset > 1 or ntp.offset < -5",
+
+        "max(3test_metric5{it's this=that's it}) lt 5 times 3",
     ]
 
     for expr in expr_list:
@@ -304,8 +306,8 @@ def main():
                 sub_expr.fmtd_sub_expr_str.encode('utf8')))
             print('sub_expr dimensions: {}'.format(
                 sub_expr.dimensions_str.encode('utf8')))
-            print()
-        print()
+            print("")
+        print("")
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
diff --git a/monasca_api/tests/test_validation.py b/monasca_api/tests/test_validation.py
index c9d3a605e..28d52d33a 100644
--- a/monasca_api/tests/test_validation.py
+++ b/monasca_api/tests/test_validation.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import mock
 
 import unittest
 
-invalid_chars = "<>={}(),'\"\\;&"
+invalid_chars = "<>={}(),\"\\;&"
 
 
 class TestMetricNameValidation(unittest.TestCase):
diff --git a/monasca_api/v2/common/validation.py b/monasca_api/v2/common/validation.py
index 59b166544..857e6d148 100644
--- a/monasca_api/v2/common/validation.py
+++ b/monasca_api/v2/common/validation.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 import re
 
-invalid_chars = "<>={}(),'\"\\\\;&"
+invalid_chars = "<>={}(),\"\\\\;&"
 restricted_chars = re.compile('[' + invalid_chars + ']')