0d94f5fa   
   From: esquel@sommarskog.se   
      
   syd_p (sydneypuente@yahoo.com) writes:   
   > I am pulling back data from sqlserver 2003 with an application that   
   > cannot cope with the french e acute for example.   
   > I have taken this up with the vendors, and they have asked what   
   > character set the sqlserver is using.   
   > Can somebody tell me where the database character set is defined?   
   > I dont have access to the database other than via a client and the db   
   > admins dont seem to know the answer to the question (or maybe they are   
   > just too busy!).   
      
   First, there is no SQL Server 2003. There is SQL 2000, SQL 2005 and SQL   
   2008.   
      
   In SQL Server you can set the collation on several levels: 1) server 2)   
   database 3) column and 4) expression.   
      
   The server and database collation mainly serves to set the default collation   
   for the lower levels.   
      
   To get the code page for the server collation:   
      
     select collationproperty(convert(nvarchar(200),   
                  serverproperty('Collation')), 'CodePage')   
      
   To get the code page for the current database:   
      
      select collationproperty(convert(nvarchar(200),   
                  databasepropertyex(db_name(), 'Collation')), 'CodePage')   
      
   For a specific column, you can use sp_help and then feed the   
   collation to collationproperty.   
      
   Keep in mind that it also matters if the colunm is varchar or   
   nvarchar. The code page only applies to varchar data.   
      
      
   --   
   Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@sommarskog.se   
      
   Links for SQL Server Books Online:   
   SQL 2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/cc514207.aspx   
   SQL 2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb895970.aspx   
   SQL 2000: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx   
      
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