This section summarizes the steps to take before and after changing Adaptive Server’s default character set, sort order, or message language. For procedures on how to configure the character set, sort order, or message language for a new server, see the configuration documentation for your platform.
Back up all databases in Adaptive Server before and after you change character sets or sort orders. After you back up your databases, use bcp to copy the data in and out of your databases if:
A database contains character data and you want to convert the data to a new character set. Do not load a database dump of the data into a server that uses the new default character set. Adaptive Server assumes the loaded data is in the new character set, and corrupts the data.
You are changing the default sort order only and not the default character set. You cannot load a database from a dump performed prior to changing the sort order—if you attempt to, an error message appears, and Adaptive Server aborts the load.
You change the default character set, and either the old or the new sort order is not binary. You cannot load a database dump that was made before you changed the character set.
You cannot reload your data from a database dump once you have reconfigured the default character set and sort order (unless both old and new character sets use a binary sort order and no conversion is required between the old and new character sets). See “Changing the default character set” for more information,
