I have a varchar(12) column with numbers stored as strings. The
Paradox app previously used had no trouble with '999' coming before
'1000'. If I store the first number as ' 999' [an explicit space
before the 999] then the sort is OK.
What I need is a SELECT ... ORDER BY ... to return numbers first, in
numerical order, then any entries starting with A..Z, in alphabetical
order. This implies that a shorter string always sorts before a longer
one. Is this contrary to the design of Firebird?
I have not defined a character set yet. Something like ASCII or
win1252 should by OK. Would this make a difference?
I am using FB1.5.3 on W2000 pro.

Thanks,
Dan Brennand