Re: Can anyone explain the NLS_LANG key to me?
Date: 1997/12/15
Message-ID: <3494f43a.7208772_at_news-ath.forthnet.gr>#1/1
Oracle7 Server National Language Support (NLS) allows users to
interact with
the database in their native language. It also allows applications to
run
in different language environments.
NLS provides :
support for processing data in the various character encoding
schemes used by computer hardware
– both single byte and multibyte character encoding schemes
– client and server can use different character encoding
schemes in client/server environments, with transparent
conversion of data between them
language dependent operation of end user applications
– Oracle7 Server messages displayed in multiple languages
– dates and numbers formatted using language and territory conventions
– character data sorted according to alphabetic conventions
– language dependent operation specifiable for each session
The following NLS parameters can be initialization parameters, environment variables, and ALTER SESSION parameters:
NLS_CALENDAR NLS_CURRENCY NLS_DATE_FORMAT NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE NLS_ISO_CURENCY NLS_NUMERIC_CHARACTERS NLS_SORT
The following NLS parameters can only be set as environment variables(i.e. Registry params):
NLS_CREDIT NLS_DEBIT NLS_DISPLAY NLS_LANG NLS_LIST_SEPARATOR NLS_MONETARY_CHARACTERS
For example for GREECE (where I live) the NLS_LANG parameter should
be:
NLS_LANG = GREEK_GREECE.EL8ISO8859P7 or
NLS_LANG = GREEK_GREECE.EL8MSWIN1253
Also for GREECE the decimal point is a commma (,) and the
thousands separator is the dot (.)
I can tell it to the db or/and the client machine by setting the
NLS_NUMERIC_CHARACTERS = ,.
The date format also differs in Greece than the American one. It's
NLS_DATE_FORMAT=DD/MM/YYYY
As you can understnad, either the Db and the Client use a NLS_LANG
parameter.
The db parameter, tells the server in which language to store/sort
e.t.c the data and
the client parameter is responsable for presenting them.
You can examine yours DB NLS parameters within the server manager by
issuing the command
show parameters NLS.
I hope I've helped.
Regards,
mail to : vrados_at_singular.gr
Web Site : www.singular.gr Received on Mon Dec 15 1997 - 00:00:00 CET