Collation refers to a set of rules that determine
how data is sorted and compared. Character data is sorted using rules that
define the correct character sequence, with options for specifying
case-sensitivity, accent marks, kana character types and character width.
Case sensitivity
IF
A and a, B and b, etc are treated in the same way then than it is
case-insensitive. A computer treats A and a differently
because it uses ASCII code to differentiate the input. The ASCII value of A is 65, while a is 97.
The ASCII value of B is 66 and b is 98.
Accent sensitivity
If a and á, o and ó are
treated in the same way, then it is accent-insensitive. A computer treats a and á differently
because it uses ASCII code for differentiating the input. The ASCII value
of a is 97 and á is 225.
The ASCII value of o is 111 and
ó is 243.
Kana Sensitivity
When Japanese
kana characters Hiragana and Katakana are treated differently, it is called
Kana sensitive.
Width sensitivity
When a
single-byte character (half-width) and the same character when represented as a
double-byte character (full-width) are treated differently than it is width
sensitive.
