These topics describe the general considerations
for positional entries, keyword entries, double-byte character set (DBCS)
text literals, and DDS computer printouts that contain DBCS characters.
DBCS text can be encoded as either Unicode or EBCDIC. If you are working
on a new application or enabling an existing application for DBCS text or
working on an application involving Java™, ODBC, JDBC, or other web methods,
then i5/OS™ Unicode
support provides the easiest way to support not only DBCS text but also other
text types. If you are working on an existing application already supporting
DBCS text stored as EBCDIC, then i5/OS EBCDIC support for DBCS text is useful.
DDS uses the following terms to describe the different types of DBCS data:
- DBCS data
- A general term to describe any form of EBCDIC-encoded
DBCS data.
- DBCS field
- A general term to describe any field that can contain
EBCDIC-encoded DBCS data.
- Bracketed DBCS data
- EBCDIC-encoded DBCS data that begins with a shift-out
character and ends with a shift-in character.
- DBCS graphic data
- EBCDIC-encoded DBCS data that contains only DBCS
data and does not contain shift-out and shift-in characters.
- Unicode data
- A general term to describe any form of Unicode-encoded
DBCS data.
- Unicode field
- When the graphic data type is used with CCSID 1200 specified, then Unicode
(UTF-16) is stored in the field instead of EBCDIC. When character data type
is used with CCSID 1208 specified, then Unicode (UTF-8) is stored in the field
instead of EBCDIC.