Non-ASCII characters in identifiers

HCL Informix® database servers support non-ASCII (wide, 8-bit, and multibyte) characters from the code set of the database locale in most SQL identifiers, such as the names of columns, connections, constraints, databases, indexes, roles, SPL routines, sequences, synonyms, tables, triggers, and views.

On HCL Informix, you can use non-ASCII characters (8-bit and multibyte characters) when you create or refer to any of these database server names:
  • Chunk name
  • Message-log file name
  • Path name
The following restrictions affect the ability of the database server to generate file names that contain non-ASCII characters:
  • The database server must know whether the operating system is 8-bit clean.
  • The code set specified by the DB_LOCALE setting must support these non-ASCII characters.

In a database with a nondefault locale, whose code set supports multibyte (or other non-ASCII) characters, you can use those non-ASCII characters when you declare most SQL identifiers, as listed in the following table.

In the following table, the Type of identifier column lists various categories of objects that can have SQL identifiers or operating-system identifiers. The SQL segment column shows the segment that provides the syntax of the identifier in the IBM Informix Guide to SQL: Syntax. The Example context column lists an SQL statement that can declare or can reference the identifier.
Table 1. SQL identifiers that support non-ASCII characters
Type of identifier SQL segment Example context
Alias Identifier SELECT
Cast Expression CREATE CAST
Column name Identifier CREATE TABLE
Connection name Quoted String CONNECT (For more information, see Specify quoted strings.)
Constraint name Database Object Name CREATE TABLE
Cursor name Identifier DECLARE (For more information, see Handle non-ASCII characters.)
Database name Database Object Name CREATE DATABASE
Distinct data type name Identifier, Data Type CREATE DISTINCT
File name None LOAD
Function name Database Object Name CREATE FUNCTION
Host variable None FETCH (For more information, see Handle non-ASCII characters.)
Index name Database Object Name CREATE INDEX
Opaque data type name Identifier, Data Type CREATE OPAQUE TYPE
Operator-class name Database Object Name CREATE OPCLASS
Partition Identifier ALTER FRAGMENT
Routine name Database Object Name CREATE FUNCTION
Routine name Database Object Name CREATE PROCEDURE
Role name Identifier CREATE ROLE
Row data type Identifier CREATE ROW TYPE
Sequence name Database Object Name CREATE SEQUENCE
SQL Statement identifier Identifier PREPARE (For more information, see Handle non-ASCII characters.)
SPL routine name Database Object Name CREATE PROCEDURE
SPL routine variables None (language-specific) CREATE PROCEDURE FROM
Synonym Database Object Name CREATE SYNONYM
Table name Database Object Name CREATE TABLE
Trigger correlation name Database Object Name CREATE TRIGGER
Trigger name Database Object Name CREATE TRIGGER
View name Database Object Name CREATE VIEW

Copyright© 2018 HCL Technologies Limited