COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General .....

[atojaf]

I created a couple of tables on my SQL Server using the wizard. Then, I generated the sql scripts to be outputted on a *.sql file. My question is, what is the meaning of "COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS" at the end of each sql script block? thanks a lot.

 

[vbkris]

try this link:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/architec/8_ar_da_6ttf.asp?frame=true

Known is handfull, Unknown is worldfull

 

[vongrunt]

Generally speaking, this is "safe cr@p" generated by wizard. If collation is not specified, database default is assumed. Ditto if you use [!]COLLATE database_default[/!] instead.

Collations in a nuthsell:

select description 
from ::fn_helpcollations() 
where name = 'SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS'

- SQL_ - SQL collation
- Latin1_General_CP1 - accepts most of characters from Western alphabets (ISO code page 1252).
- CI - case-insensitive ('Blah' is equal to 'BLAH' in comparisons)
- AS - accent-sensitive, makes sense for alphabets with accented characters (in German U is different than Ü)

Some collations also have Kana-sensitivity (Japanese) or width-sensitivity flag (common for Eastern European alphabets)

------
[small]select stuff(stuff(replicate('<P> <B> ', 14), 109, 0, '<.'), 112, 0, '/')[/small]

 

[atojaf]

Thanks very much. This is very helpful for me. I basically created a unix script to remove "COLLATION....." from the outputted Sql Server script so that I can ran the same script to a Oracle server.

 

[atojaf]

One more thing, so basically if I remove the "COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS" and it will still be ok since we are in the states. I mean we are using western codes?

 

[vongrunt]

If that collation is DB/server's default (and AFAIK it is usually), I'd say you are 100% safe.

------
[small]select stuff(stuff(replicate('<P> <B> ', 14), 109, 0, '<.'), 112, 0, '/')[/small]

 

[atojaf]

ok thanks Vongrunt. By the way, I using it for basically to practice populating my Oracle server with tables that are already existing from my SQL server.