> BTW, can I know why Interbase only allows a
> database-wide charset and not a
> whole default collation order?

SQL 92 does not allow a default collation order for a database.
It DOES allow a default character set for a database.
And it DOES allow for a default collation for any character set.
With these two features you can obtain the same effect, with the SQL
92
command to create character sets based on existing character sets.

With InterBase, what you do is, roughly, as follows:

Set your default character set to (for instance) ISO8859_1
Alter the default collation for ISO8859_1 from the collation named
ISO8859_1
to (for instance) FR_FR.
Define your columns.

NOTE: Altering default character set, collation, etc, only impacts
future
column definitions. Existing columns are not modified - even if they
previously
were the "default character set".

In SQL, default character set means -- "Use this character set if I
don't specify
otherwise on the create table statement" - In SQL, and InterBase,
every column
has a SPECIFIC character set and SPECIFIC collation.

Dave

>
> C.
> ---------
> Claudio Valderrama C.
> Ingeniero en Informática - Consultor independiente
> http://members.xoom.com/cvalde
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: David Berg [mailto:DaveBerg@TCISolutions.com]
> > Sent: Miércoles 29 de Marzo de 2000 12:48
> > To: IB-Architect@onelist.com
> > Subject: RE: [IB-Architect] Syntax for case insensitive sort
> >
> >
> > From: "David Berg" <DaveBerg@TCISolutions.com>
> >
> > An alternative to declaring case insensitivity in the order by
> > clause is to
> > declare it as an attribute of the field. This has a
> number of advantages:
> >
> > (1) Indexes that include the field are case insensitive.
> This makes a BIG
> > difference in performance when doing case insensitive
> sorts or queries.
> >
> > (2) Order by clauses are automatically case insensitive
> (and can use
> > indexes).
> >
> > (3) Comparisons (<,>,=) are case insensitive (perhaps
> this should be an
> > option).
> >
> > (4) Unique constraints are case insensitive. So I can't
> have "Interbase"
> > and "INTERBASE" both in a unique index.
>
>
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