Hi Thomas,

IB/FB can convert other character sets to character set none (actually
it does not convert, simply passes the data on directly). However you
can NOT go the other way unless the character set none field contains
only low ascii characters.

As you have found this presents problems if your database contains
fields using character set none, and you usually connect with some
other character set.

Indeed you can even have problems with database exception messages, if
you define non-low-ascii characters in the message. All is OK if IB/FB
generates the error, but if you try to read the exceptions table
directly from the metadata (using any character set but none) then you
will get the "transliteration" error.

Given that any particular connection can only use one character set,
this can present some real problems. Recently I learnt how to write
BLR just to work around this particular problem, but it is not
something I recommend.

Instead I suggest that you change your character set none fields to
some other suitable character set (almost anything else will do, since
most of the other character sets provide transliteration between each
other).

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

--
Geoff Worboys
Telesis Computing