Property | Description |
---|---|
Parameter type | String |
Syntax | NLS_LENGTH_SEMANTICS = string
Example: |
Default value | BYTE |
Modifiable | ALTER SESSION |
Range of values | BYTE | CHAR |
NLS_LENGTH_SEMANTICS
enables you to create CHAR
and VARCHAR2
columns using either byte or character length semantics. Existing columns are not affected.
NCHAR
, NVARCHAR2
, CLOB
, and NCLOB
columns are always character-based. You may be required to use byte semantics in order to maintain compatibility with existing applications.
NLS_LENGTH_SEMANTICS
does not apply to tables in SYS
and SYSTEM
. The data dictionary always uses byte semantics.