Which NLS parameter can be used to change the default Oracle sort method from binary to linguistic for the
SQL SELECT statement?
A.
NLS_LANG
B.
NLS_COMP
C.
NLS_SORT
D.
None of the above
Explanation:
Neither NLS_SORT nor NLS_COMP cannot change sorting from BINARY to LINGUISTIC. Because the
NLS_SORT depends on NLS_COMP, if they are different, the sorting method will always be BINARY.
(Refer to NLS_SORT) The exact operators and query clauses that obey the NLS_SORT parameter depend on
the value of the NLS_COMP parameter. If an operator or clause does not obey the NLS_SORT value, as
determined by NLS_COMP, the collation used is BINARY.
The BINARY comparison is faster and uses less resources than any linguistic comparison but for text in a
natural language, it does not provide ordering expected by users.
The value of NLS_SORT affects execution plans of queries. Because a standard index cannot be used as a
source of values sorted in a linguistic order, an explicit sort operation must usually be performed instead of an
index range scan. A functional index on the NLSSORT function may be defined to provide values sorted in a
linguistic order and reintroduce the index range scan to the execution plan.
NLS_COMP specifies the collation behavior of the database session.