Hi Brian,
By "16-bit Unicode" can I assume that you mean the UTF-16 (formerly UCS-2) encoding?
Depending on the programming language and environment you are using, you may already be using "16-bit Unicode". For example, most of Microsoft's C and VB Access drivers, as far as I recall, use COM, in which strings are generally represented as UTF-16, for example.
Oracle just added a 16-bit Unicode encoding to Oracle 9i. Whether it makes sense for you to use it or not is probably a more complex implementation question that I can explore here. I should note that Oracle 7x and 8x (and 9x for that matter) have a perfectly serviceable Unicode encoding based on UTF8. You may find it easier to port your project to Oracle using this multibyte encoding. Generally speaking, it doesn't matter *which* Unicode encoding you choose for your database.
Oracle's drivers support both the new 16-bit nchar/nvarchar data types and the UTF-8 (or AL32UTF8 on Oracle 9i) encoding with traditional char/varchar2 types.Your DDL will vary slightly depending on which of the two encodings you choose and whether you need strict backward compatibility with earlier Oracle versions (Oracle added keywords to their DDL to help with Unicode implementation). Again, which Unicode encoding you choose for the actual database is an open question. However, the drivers generally insulate you from which encoding is used on the back end, so that from a programming perspective it becomes unimportant (and do note that word "generally").
There have been a number of presentations at recent International Unicode Conferences. Go back and look at IUC19 in particular for material on Oracle and Access from their respective companies. I also have a presentation only obliquely related, but which may help you with your confusion about 16- or 8-bit flavors of Unicode in databases (http://www.inter-locale.com/IUC19.ppt)
Best Regards,
Addison
Addison P. Phillips
Globalization Architect / Manager, Globalization Engineering
webMethods, Inc. 432 Lakeside Drive, Sunnyvale, CA
+1 408.962.5487 (phone) +1 408.210.3659 (mobile)
-------------------------------------------------
Internationalization is an architecture. It is not a feature.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: unicode-bounce@unicode.org
> [mailto:unicode-bounce@unicode.org]On Behalf Of Magda Danish (Unicode)
> Sent: 2002年2月18日 10:02
> To: unicode@unicode.org
> Subject: FW: 16 bit unicode
>
>
>
> From: Brian.Hooker@scisys.co.uk
> Date: 2002-02-14 05:26:42 -0800
> To: info@unicode.org
> Subject: 16 bit unicode
>
>
>
> Hello,
>
> I am presently investigating the use of 16bit unicode within Oracle9i
> and Access 2000 On searching the web I have not yet been able to
> successfully locate driver that supports 16 bit unicode.
>
> Do you know of any sites or have any information of drivers for 16 bit
> unicode for Oracle9i ?
>
> Regards
> Brian Hooker
>
>
>
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