Collating sequences
The order in which character data is sorted in a database depends on the structure of the data and the collating sequence defined for the database.
Suppose that the data in a database is all uppercase letters and does not contain any numeric or special characters. A sort of the data should result in the same output, regardless of whether the data is sorted at the data source or at the federated database. The collating sequence used by each database should not impact the sort results. Likewise, if the data in the database is all lowercase letters or all numeric characters, a sort of the data should produce the same results regardless of where the sort actually is performed.
- A combination of letters and numeric characters
- Both uppercase and lowercase letters
- Special characters such as @, #, €
In general terms, a collating sequence is a defined ordering for character data that determines whether a particular character sorts higher, lower, or the same as another character.