Moving from LocalDB to a server instance takes a tested backup and restore, new connection strings, mapped logins, and a collation check.
Storing Emoji and Short Messages: nvarchar, UTF-8 and Length
Store emoji safely with nvarchar or UTF-8 varchar, compare LEN and DATALENGTH, and choose message limits that fit full Unicode.
Collation Sensitivity Quiz: Does ‘jose’ Match ‘José’?
This Collation Sensitivity Quiz asks whether jose matches JOSE and José in a case-insensitive, accent-sensitive database. The answer is JOSE yes, José no. A tested script compares three collations and shows the width and kana settings too.
SQL SERVER – Detecting Database Case Sensitive Property using fn_helpcollations()
Is your database Case Sensitive? Find its collation, then look it up in fn_helpcollations() and read the description. A quick answer from my Office Hours.
LIKE Character Ranges: [a-f], [^0-9] and Collation Traps
A bracket range sounds simple until the collation decides what sits between a and f. Test it once so a bad code never reaches your table.
Rows That Look Identical but Are Not: Finding Hidden Characters
Expose hidden characters with DATALENGTH and UNICODE, clean known whitespace safely, and add a constraint to prevent recurrence.
Sorting Correctly: Collation and ORDER BY
Collation and ORDER BY decide case, accent, and text-number order; choose rules explicitly when one report needs different sorting.