Unicode on IBM i

The IBM® i operating system provides support for Unicode.

Unicode cannot be specified as a value for:

  • The system CCSID
  • A user profile CCSID
  • A job CCSID

The IBM i operating system provides external support for Unicode in the following parts of the system:

  • Database files and functions
  • Db2® for i
  • DDS
  • Display file and panel groups
  • ILE high-level languages such as RPG
  • Message handling and message catalogs
  • Query files and tools
  • SQL tables
  • Unicode variables in UIM

Several other IBM i functions use Unicode internally so that character data integrity is maintained for users across multilingual platforms.

Note: These topics do not give detailed information about application development as it relates to the implementation of Unicode. Rather, they provide highlights of IBM i support for Unicode. Where possible, these topics provide reference to a book that provides detailed information for unicode implementation. You need to have the information about the Unicode standard available and understand the information.