ASA SQL Reference
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CSCONVERT function [STRING]

Function 

Converts strings between character sets.

Syntax 

CSCONVERT (
string-expression,
'target-charset'
[ , 'source-charset' ] )

Parameters 

string-expression    The string.

target-charset    The destination character set. Target-charset can be one of the following:

• os_charset    The character set used by the operating system.

• db_charset    The character set used by the database.

• any other supported character set label    You can specify any of the Adaptive Server Anywhere supported character set labels. For more information, see Character set labels.

source-charset    The character set used by the original string-expression. The default is db_charset. Source-charset-name can be one of the following:

• os_charset    The character set used by the operating system.

• db_charset    The character set used by the database.

• any other supported character set label    You can specify any of the Adaptive Server Anywhere supported character set labels. For more information, see Character set labels.

Standards and compatibility 

• SQL/92    SQL/92 compatible.

• SQL/99    Vendor extension.

• Sybase    Compatible with Adaptive Server Enterprise.

See also 

Starting a database server using character set translation

Examples 

This fragment converts the mytext column from the Traditional Chinese character set to the Simplified Chinese character set:

SELECT CSCONVERT (mytext, 'cp936', 'cp950')
FROM mytable

This fragment converts the mytext column from the database character set to the Simplified Chinese character set:

SELECT CSCONVERT (mytext, 'cp936')
FROM mytable

If a filename is stored in the database, it is stored in the database's character set. If the server is going to read from or write to a file whose name is stored in a database (for example, in an external stored procedure), the filename must be explicitly converted to the operating system's character set before the file can be accessed. Filenames stored in the database and retrieved by the client are converted automatically to the client's character set, so explicit conversion is not necessary.

This fragment converts the filename column from the database character set to the operating system character set:

SELECT CSCONVERT (filename, 'os_charset')
FROM mytable

A table contains a list of filenames. An external stored procedure takes a filename from this table as a parameter and reads information directly out of that file. The following statement works when character set conversion is not required:

SELECT MYFUNC( filename )
FROM mytable

where mytable is a table that contains a filename column. However, if you need to convert the filename to the character set of the operating system, you would use the following statement.

SELECT MYFUNC( csconvert( filename, 'os_charset' ) )
FROM mytable