Table charset

I’ve learnt that setting an environmental variable called NLS_LANG in the client computer makes client apps send and receive data in the correct charset. I’ve also learned that I can query the NLS_%_PARAMETERS views to find out the charset of database, instance and session. But... Does Oracle 10g keep track of the charset in a per table or schema basis?

I’m about to start a brand new PHP application with Oracle backend and I want to make sure that data does not get corrupted if someone else manipulates the tables but it seems all I can do is either change the settings for the whole server of change them for the current session.

Sorry if it's a silly question but the Oracle documentation about the subject is overwhelming (including a 400+ pages Globalization Guide).

--

• http://alvaro.es - Álvaro G. Vicario - Burgos, Spain
• Mi sitio sobre programación web: http://bits.demogracia.com
• Mi web de humor al baño María: http://www.demogracia.com --