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Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 07:18:36 -0700
From: Rob <pgadmin@itsbeen.sent.com>
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To: kumar <sgnerd@yahoo.com.sg>, pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: Equivalant of SQL Server's Nchar and NVARCHAR
References: <011201c42dd2$69245f70$7502a8c0@hdsc.com>
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kumar wrote:

> Dear friends,
> Is there any equivalent datatype of SQL Server's NCHAR and NVARCHAR, 
> available with Postgres 7.3.4. I want to store characters, special 
> characters and Numbers.
> Please shed some light.
>  
> Thanks
> Kumar

I only only use ascii but...
I believe postgresql varchar is the same as Oracle/Sybase/MS SQL 
nvarchar even though it doesn't explicitly say so here:

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/7.4/static/datatype-character.html

Here is a short example:
create table
nvctest (
utf8fld varchar(12)
);
insert into nvctest
select convert('PostgreSQL' using ascii_to_utf_8);
select * from nvctest;

text functions including encoding conversions are here:

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/functions-string.html
  and
http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/functions-string.html#CONVERSION-NAMES

Good Luck,

Rob