INF: Case Sensitivity in SQL Server

ID Number: Q37510

1.00 1.10 1.11

OS/2

Summary:

This article explains how case sensitivity works in SQL Server

versions 1.x.

More Information:

SQL keywords may be entered in uppercase, lowercase, or mixed case.

Object names (such as table names, column names, and so forth) and

user data are stored and displayed with exactly the same case as

entered.

An option specified at master database initialization time controls

whether or not selection criteria, sorting, and indexes are sensitive

to case.

If case sensitivity is specified, "T1" and "t1" can be entered in a

field that has a unique index. Where clauses will only find items that

match exactly in case (unless LIKE "[Tt]1" is used).

If case sensitivity is not specified, "T1" and "t1" cannot be entered

in a field that has a unique index. Where clauses will find all items

that match, regardless of case.

The case sensitivity feature of versions 1.x have been replaced in

version 4.2 with installable sort sequences, which affect both

searches and ordering. These capabilities are more powerful than the

1.x feature, though an option for strict 1.x compatibility is provided

for downward compatibility only.

Additional reference words: 1.0 1.00 1.1 1.10 1.11