NLS_LENGTH_SEMANTICS

Property	Description
Parameter type	String
Syntax	`NLS_LENGTH_SEMANTICS =` `string` Example: `NLS_LENGTH_SEMANTICS = 'CHAR'`
Default value	`BYTE`
Modifiable	`ALTER SESSION`
Range of values	`BYTE \| CHAR`

NLS_LENGTH_SEMANTICS enables you to create CHAR and VARCHAR2 columns using either byte or character length semantics. Existing columns are not affected.

NCHAR, NVARCHAR2, CLOB, and NCLOB columns are always character-based. You may be required to use byte semantics in order to maintain compatibility with existing applications.

NLS_LENGTH_SEMANTICS does not apply to tables in SYS and SYSTEM. The data dictionary always uses byte semantics.