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Informix Error -7205: DBNLS is not set or LC_CTYPE must be set to category-value.

Cause and resolution

DBNLS is not set or LC_CTYPE must be set to category-value.

You might receive this message when you try to access an external database that has a different locale than the current database. In order to access this NLS database, you must set the DBNLS environment variable to 1 or 2 and the LC_CTYPE environment variable to the specified category-value.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-7205 fires when accessing an external NLS database with a different locale than the current database, without the required environment variables set — per the official guidance.

  1. DBNLS not set to 1 or 2, per the official guidance — the first named requirement.
  2. LC_CTYPE not set to the specified category-value, per the official guidance — the second named requirement.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Set the DBNLS environment variable to 1 or 2, per the official guidance.
  2. Set the LC_CTYPE environment variable to the specified category-value, per the official guidance.
Examples
Setting DBNLS and LC_CTYPE
$ export DBNLS=1
$ export LC_CTYPE=en_us.8859-1
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check DBNLS and LC_CTYPE, and set them to the values required by the external NLS database's locale.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -7203 — "DBNLS is not set or LC_COLLATE must be category-value." The same underlying requirement, for LC_COLLATE rather than LC_CTYPE.

Accessing an external NLS database requires DBNLS and LC_CTYPE to be set to its locale's category-value.