Unicode support
A product that provides Unicode compliance is written using the Unicode character coding system, which means Unicode data can flow from database to client without any conversion occurring. A product that provides Unicode database support enables the database to contain Unicode characters but converts them between the database and the product. Any product that accesses the database, however, still uses a native character set.
The following sections discuss Unicode support for BMC Remedy AR System:
Unicode database support for forms
The Unicode database option enables you to have multi- and single-byte forms, data, and workflow stored in the same database or database instance.
Unicode support for AR System database types
Each database type supported by BMC Remedy AR System supports Unicode at one of the levels listed in the following table.
Unicode support for AR System database types
Unicode support level | Database type | Comments |
|---|---|---|
Database instance | Oracle | For these database types, you must configure the database instance before you install the new AR System database. Note: If you use an Oracle AR System database with the Unicode database option, problems might occur if the |
Specific column type | Microsoft SQL Server | Uses Unicode data types |
During installation, the BMC Remedy AR System installer gives you the option of creating a Unicode database. You can safely do this if you meet the following requirements:
- You are not installing on an existing AR System database.
- Your database supports Unicode at the column or tablespace level, or you configured your database instance for databases that support Unicode at the database-instance level.
Warning
If you have a non-unicode BMC Remedy AR System database, you must first migrate it to Unicode before upgrading your AR System server. If you choose the Unicode database option during an upgrade against a non-Unicode AR System database, you will corrupt your database. See Migrating your database to Unicode.
Migrating your database to Unicode
If you are upgrading a BMC Remedy AR System that already has a database, you must migrate the database to Unicode before proceeding with the BMC Remedy AR System upgrade. This ensures your data integrity.
The following procedures describe how to migrate your database to Unicode. For more details, see your database documentation.
To migrate an Oracle database to Unicode
Follow these general steps to migrate an Oracle database. For detailed information, see your Oracle documentation.
- Confirm that your Unicode Oracle database uses the AL32UTF8 character set.
The character set is defined during the creation of the Unicode database. There is no change of character set for an existing database. During the creation of the database, the response to the prompt for a character set is AL32UTF8. The Oracle database engine performs any conversion required during import of the original (non-Unicode) database into the new database. Perform a full export and import of the whole database.
Note
UTF-8 columns usually store fewer characters that non-Unicode columns. If you use UTF-8 character encoding, you might be introducing data truncation. For more information, see your Oracle documentation.
To migrate a Microsoft SQL Server database to Unicode
Follow these general steps to migrate a Microsoft SQL Server database. For detailed information, see your Microsoft SQL Server documentation.
Create columns in the target database that correspond to the source database as shown in the following table.
Source column type
Target column type
char
nchar
varchar
nvarchar
text
ntext
Migrate your data on a column-by-column basis.
Warning
If the database has Unicode and non-Unicode columns, BMC Remedy AR System will not work.
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