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From: Marcin Gozdalik <gozdal@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:20:04 +0000
Message-ID: <CADu1mRP=rTC2WX=-EWqCX-CWjp9q09xxuEkK=2Se3wx1HasSkQ@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Changing locale of an existing database
To: pgsql-general@postgresql.org
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Hi

I am using PostgreSQL 17 and would like to take advantage of performance
and stability across OS updates of builtin C.UTF-8 locale.
I have a cluster with a DB created with en_US.UTF-8 libc locale. I would
like to migrate the DB to C.UTF-8. Ideally there'd be an "ALTER DATABASE
... SET LOCALE ..." command that would take care of it but it seems it
doesn't exist. I was thinking that I could change the collation of all
TEXT/CHAR/VARCHAR columns in all the tables to pg_c_utf8, REINDEX all those
columns and change the default locale in the pg_database table.

Is it a sensible plan? Am I missing some steps? I can't find any reference
to anybody doing that before or discouraging it.

Thanks,
Marcin

-- 
Marcin Gozdalik

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div>Hi</div><div><br></div><div>I am using PostgreSQL 17 =
and would like to take advantage of performance and stability across OS upd=
ates of builtin C.UTF-8 locale.</div><div>I have a cluster with a DB create=
d with en_US.UTF-8 libc locale. I would like to migrate the DB to C.UTF-8. =
Ideally there&#39;d be an &quot;ALTER DATABASE ... SET LOCALE ...&quot; com=
mand that would take care of it but it seems it doesn&#39;t exist. I was th=
inking that I could change the collation of all TEXT/CHAR/VARCHAR columns i=
n all the tables to=C2=A0pg_c_utf8, REINDEX all those columns and change th=
e default locale in the pg_database table.</div><div><br></div><div>Is it a=
 sensible plan? Am I missing some steps? I can&#39;t find any reference to =
anybody=C2=A0doing that before or discouraging=C2=A0it.</div><div><br></div=
><div>Thanks,</div><div>Marcin</div><br><span class=3D"gmail_signature_pref=
ix">-- </span><br><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_signature" data-smartmail=
=3D"gmail_signature">Marcin Gozdalik</div></div>

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