Changing SAP ASE’s default character set, sort order, or message language involves
extracting the data, installing the new character set, sort order, or message language, shutting
down and restarting the server, and reloading the data. 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 SAP ASE 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. SAP ASE 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 SAP ASE 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).