Hi,

I have an **urgent** need to pass chinese characters into an SQL Server
Express table using a stored procedure. The MSDN documentation informs me
that everything will work 'automatically' if I use NVARCHAR parameters but
all I am getting is question marks. I've found old threads where other
people have the same problem but the only answer available is 'it should
just work'. Hopefully someone here (PLEASE) has more idea why the following
would not work (the result for me is that every unicode character is
converted into a question mark instead of having the correct chinese
charater).

PS The same code works fine for Jet (Access).

CREATE TABLE MyTable (iID INT, sName NVARCHAR(50));
GO

CREATE PROCEDURE MyTable_Insert(@iID INT, @sName NVARCHAR(50))
AS INSERT INTO MyTable(iID, sName) VALUES (@iID, @sName);
GO

DECLARE @RC INT
DECLARE @iID INT
DECLARE @sName NVARCHAR(50)

SET @iID = 1
SET @sName = '??'

EXECUTE @RC = MyTable_Insert @iID, @sName
GO

SELECT * FROM MyTable;

------------
Result: 1 ??
------------

NOTE: Prefixing the variable name with an "N" does fix the problem:
 SET @sName = '??'     // this inserts ??
 SET @sName = N'??'      // this inserts ??
However, this solution is not workable because eventually the parameter will
be set by an existing C# application that passes a string. BTW The
'automatic' detection of string variables should make this unecessary right?

This is an urgent problem for me. A fast response would be greatly
appreciated.

Regards,
Hamilton Colyer-Long

Janusys
www.janusys.com.au