Character-set conversion takes place at the destination Replication Server. Every message packed for the Replication Server Interface (RSI) includes the name of the source Replication Server character set. The destination Replication Server uses this information to convert the character data and identifiers to its own character set.
When it attempts character-set conversion, Replication Server checks whether the character sets are compatible. If they are incompatible, no conversion occurs. If they are compatible and one or more characters that are not common to both sets are encountered, a ? (question mark) is substituted for each unrecognized characters.
In the Replication Server, context determines whether a ? is substituted or a character-set conversion exception is raised. For example, if Replication Server detects an incompatibility in a character being replicated, it substitutes a ? for the character; if it detects an incompatibility when converting the configuration file parameters, it prints an error message and shuts down.
You can use the dsi_charset_convert configuration parameter to specify whether or not Replication Server attempts character-set conversion. See Replication Server Reference Manual > configure connection.