PostgreSQL varchar can store Unicode with suitable database and client encodings. My example stores ЯНВАРЬ, the Russian word for January.
SHOW server_encoding;
SHOW client_encoding;
CREATE TEMP TABLE testing1 (col varchar(100));
INSERT INTO testing1 (col) VALUES ('ЯНВАРЬ');
SELECT col FROM testing1;
DROP TABLE testing1;
Use UTF8 and compatible client encoding for broadly multilingual data. A character type alone can’t make every encoding support every character. SQL_ASCII is not a substitute for correct Unicode handling.
SQL Server nvarchar and nchar remain straightforward Unicode choices. SQL Server 2019 also supports UTF-8 collations with varchar. My earlier comparison therefore needed qualification. Check client encoding, literals and collation in either product.
This PostgreSQL example uses a temporary table. It leaves no permanent testing object. The multilingual SQL Server article and PostgreSQL learning resources provide additional context.
Reference: PostgreSQL character-set support.
Related reading
- SQL SERVER – Storing Data in Hindi, Chinese, Gujarati, and Tamil (or any other) Language in the Same Table
- PostgreSQL – Learn Online in a Single Day – PostgreSQL Learning Path
- POSTGRESQL – How to Create a Function? – How to Declare Local Variable
- SQL – Difference between != and <> Operator used for NOT EQUAL TO Operation
A character type is not a complete encoding configuration, it is one part of preserving multilingual text.
Published by Pinal Dave on SQLAuthority. More of my work at pinaldave.com.
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