>> real length in characters = 4/4 = 1
>> truncate the result to 1 character to get 'Y'
>
> Why not simply declare the column in database with CHARACTER SET NONE
> if you keep only 'Y' and 'N' there?.. In this case it will be one-byte
> on client.

That's not really a solution, is it? It's a specific workaround
if you only want to store 'Y' or 'N', in those cases you want
to store any single unicode character, your proposal doesn't
make sense, yet, the problem still is a problem.

With regards,

Martijn Tonies
Upscene Productions
http://www.upscene.com

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