Special Characters in the EQuIS Database

EQuIS databases use the ASCII and Extended ASCII character sets. A database collation can also be changed.

Overall, characters best avoided in database fields if required by reporting are:

•the straight single quote (') – can cause errors in certain third-party tools or programs due to the need for special handling within SQL commands and Excel.

•the pipe (|) – used in the equis.pipe_filter scalar-valued function to separate multiple selections within a single report parameter for reports.

The table below summarizes the scenarios in which special characters or certain phrases can cause issues. With new releases, documentation will be updated to include additional such scenarios as encountered.

Special Character (Name)	XY Charts - Group By	Crosstab Reports	Reports** and Forms	Filters	Action Levels
' (straight single quote)	See Known Issue		If used within parameters, report may fail with "Syntax error: Missing operand after '[string]' operator" message.
\| (pipe)		See Editing EDDs page	Used as a report parameter separator		See Create New Action Level page
^ (carat)
, (comma)
# (number sign)				Use Custom Filter
" (straight double quote)					Shows a message but does not prevent saving
[ (open square bracket)				Error on export after filtering; use Custom Filter
: (colon) or @ (at symbol)			Anything following the : or @ symbols will be treated as a parameter in the EQuIS SQL Form or in custom SQL reports.
SQL commands (e.g. Update, Delete)			Do not use in User Report names		See Create New Action Level page
_WARNING					Do not prepend to Action Level name (already in use). See Create New Action Level page

* Use legacy TeeChart XY Charts instead by holding down Shift when clicking XY Charts.

** May be report-specific; universally-known special character issues are provided here, while specific report pages may detail further limitations, if applicable.