Collation Settings (SQL Server Express)

Use the Collation Settings page of the Microsoft SQL Server Installation Wizard to modify default collation settings used by SQL Server for language and sorting purposes. Choose the Collation designator option to match collation settings of different installations of SQL Server or of another computer. Use the SQL Collations option to match settings that are compatible with the sort orders in earlier versions of SQL Server.

Options

Option Description

Collation designator and sort order

Designates the collation to be used by this instance of SQL Server Express. An SQL collation is selected by default for English-language locales. The default collation for non-English locales is the Microsoft Windows locale setting for your computer — the Language for non-Unicode programs setting, or the closest equivalent from Regional and Language Options in Control Panel.

The check boxes under Collation designator and sort order let you specify the sort order to use with the Collation designator you have selected. Binary is the fastest sorting order and is case-sensitive. If Binary is selected, the Case-sensitive, Accent-sensitive, Kana-sensitive, and Width-sensitive options are not available. For more information, see Windows Collation Sorting Styles in SQL Server 2005 Books Online.

Note   Change the default settings for the sort order only if your installation of SQL Server must match the collation settings used by another instance of SQL Server, or if it must match the Windows locale of another computer.

SQL collations

The SQL collations option is used for compatibility with earlier versions of SQL Server. Select this option to match settings compatible with SQL Server 8.0, 7.0, or earlier. For more information, see Using SQL Collations in SQL Server 2005 Books Online.

See Also

Other Resources

SQL Server 2005 Books Online Download Center

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance