Article ID: 155723
Article Last Modified on 2/14/2005
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Standard Edition
- Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 Standard Edition
- Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q155723
SUMMARY
If dual byte character set (DBCS) data is too long to fit into a char or varchar column, the data is truncated to fit into the column. If Microsoft SQL Server uses a DBCS code page and this truncation happens right in the middle of a double-byte character, the whole double-byte character is discarded.
The following scripts demonstrate this truncation. It is assumed that the code page that applies here is a DBCS code page.
CREATE TABLE test
(
col1 char (10),
col1 varchar (10)
)
GO
/* Let D represent a double character. */
/* Let L represent the leading byte. */
/* Let T represent the trailing byte. */
/* Let S represent a single character. */
/* Let s represent space (ASCII 20). */
INSERT test VALUES ("SDDDDD", "SDDDDD")
GO
SELECT * FROM test
GO
col1 col2
---------- ----------
SLTLTLTLTs SLTLTLTLT
Because the truncated string is shorter than the maximum length, the char column that does not allow a null value and the char variable is padded with trailing blanks while the varchar column will not store trailing blanks.
Additional query words: DBCS
Keywords: kbinfo kbprogramming KB155723
