Using Character Semantics for Work Area Table Installation

If your data includes multibyte unicode characters, your data may sometimes not fit into character columns in the Oracle Life Sciences Data Hub Table instances you create because you are using byte semantics (which is the default behavior).

You can set this profile to Yes to use character semantics instead of byte semantics across your Oracle LSH installation.

Using byte semantics, a character column's length is the same as the number of bytes the column can contain. For example, a character column with a length of 2 can contain either two 1-byte characters or one 2-byte character, but it cannot contain one 2-byte character and one 1-byte character together. If you try to write more bytes of data into a column than it can hold, you get an error like ORA-12899: value too large for column ??? (actual: 3, maximum: 2).

Using character semantics, the column length is the same as the number of characters—including multibyte characters—the column can contain. For example, a character column with a length of 2 can store two 1-byte characters, two 2-byte characters, or one of each. Oracle Applications always uses byte semantics, but Oracle Warehouse Builder supports character semantics as well.

Note:

• This profile setting does not take effect until you edit the Oracle Warehouse Builder Runtime.properties file as described in the Oracle Life Sciences Data Hub Installation Guide in the OWB section of the chapter on installing Oracle LSH itself.

• The maximum size of Oracle character columns is 4000 bytes regardless of whether you use byte or character semantics. A character column with a length of 4000 can store 4000 bytes—for example, 4000 1-byte characters or 2000 2-byte characters—but the total number of bytes cannot exceed 4000 using either byte or character semantics.

• The type of semantics in effect at the time a Table instance is first installed or reinstalled during a Full Work Area installation determines the type of semantics the Table instance uses.

A Table instance first installed using byte semantics (when Use Character Semantics is set to No) continues to use byte semantics even if you change the profile value to Yes and even if you reinstall the Work Area using an Upgrade installation. To apply character semantics to the Table instance you must do an installation of type Full. Full installation deletes the data in the Table instance.

Similarly, if you first install a Table instance when Use Character Semantics is set to Yes, it continues to use character semantics even if you set the profile value back to No—until you do a Full installation.

To use character semantics, do the following:

1. Log in. See How to Log In to Oracle Applications Profile Forms.
2. In the Profile field, enter LSH: Use Character Semantics for Workarea Installation
3. Click Find.
4. In the Site column:
   • Select YES to use character semantics.
   • Select NO to use byte semantics (the default value).
5. In the File menu, select Save and Proceed. The system displays a message that the transaction is complete.
6. Click OK. The transaction message pop-up disappears.
7. Click the X in the upper right corner of the System Profile Values window to close the window.