Re: [Firebird-devel] ERROR:Malformed string

[Nikolay S. <nik...@re...>]

Adriano, Dmitry,

Adriano dos Santos Fernandes wrote:
> Nikolay Samofatov wrote:
>   
>> Question: why the engine cannot behave in a smart way by default?
>>
>> Literally, if backup version is less than BCK_ods11_2 imply the use of 
>> database character set (att_database_dfl_charset) with FIX_FSS_METADATA 
>> option (isc_dpb_lc_ctype). This will cure 90% of cases: situations when 
>> database character set is specified.
>>
>>     
> And what you'll do with the 10% that used things *correct*, and has the metadata stored with UTF-8 and have a different database charset?
>   
Remaining 10% use NONE as the database character set and not much can be 
done to help them.
I believe it was not possible to use things "correctly" in a way you 
describe with Firebird 2.0 and earlier. So for backups < BCK_ods11_1 
logic holds accurately.

With Firebird 2.1 (BCK_ods11_1) the most common sight is the corrupt 
database with half of procedures in WIN1251 (migrated from 2.0) and the 
other half in UTF8 (created while in 2.1).
Luckily, WIN1251 is 8-bit character set, so any UTF8 procedures you 
created while in Firebird 2.1 are converted without 'malformed string' 
exception and you can than repair them manually after FIX_FSS_METADATA 
is applied.
In any case, manual repair work is required. So maybe 'Malformed string' 
is the good start for this particular scenario.

Dmitry, I believe this topic merits RM attention. Something needs to be 
done to remedy the situation both for Firebird 2.1 (corruption by 
default) and Firebird 2.5 (error by default).

In the meantime, we brace ourselves for more repair work.

-- 
Nikolay Samofatov, MBA
Red Soft Corporation
+7 495 668 3735