Error "COLLATION UNICODE_CI for CHARACTER SET UTF8 is not installed"

[ix07]

Hi.

We are trying to create an automated service which is supposed to convert FB25 database files to FB40 database files. For this we are using the recommended method of exporting the data via FB25 gbak and recreating the database using FB40 gbak. Doing this within "Windows" works just fine. But when trying to do the conversion process on a Linux machine and then using the converted data on a Windows machine we ran into a problem. The conversion on Linux works (exporting the dump for a FB25 database file (created in Windows) with a Linux FB25 installation using gbak, then recreating the database file in Linux use FB40 gbak). But if we try to use that database on a Windows system using a "Windows" FB40 the error message "COLLATION UNICODE_CI for CHARACTER SET UTF8 is not installed" is produced.

This happens when opening the database using FB40 embedded, but also when running Firebird as a service and then using ISQL and CONNECT. We tried this with the original Firebird 4.06 distribution on Windows. On Linux we tried precompiled versions from the Github-Repo, but also tried to compile FB40 from sources - same problem.

In the Internet there are several articles about differences in the available collations on both systems, but we did not manage to find a distribution which did not produce the problem, or build one ourselves (same problem).

Is this a known issue and what would be a clean solution for this problem?

Thanks!

[asfernandes]

The version in Linux uses the OS ICU version, which is different than ICU supplied with Firebird in Windows.

You're having problems with indexes as the sort keys generated by ICU is not compatible in different versions.

For that there is gfix -icu.

[mrotteveel]

Alternatively, create a backup after the conversion, and restore the backup on Windows, instead of using the database file created on Linux.

@asfernandes I think that the error message is confusing in that it does not address the actual problem. Would it be possible for Firebird to detect it is actually an ICU problem, and give an appropriate error message (maybe with the suggestion to use gfix -icu)?

[ix07]

This solved our problem, thank you very much for your quick reaction and assistance. I don't know if it is possible to detect the reason for the incompatibility and forward it to the user (developer), but I think it could be helpful.

Thanks again!