With today's global economy and the emergence of Asian-language markets, it's imperative that enterprise CRM products provide multi-byte character support.

There are two primary approaches to providing multi-byte character support: (1)using the all-encompassing character-encoding scheme known as Unicode, and (2) using individual double-byte code pages (e.g., Shift-JIS, Big 5).

The primary difference between these systems is that Unicode supports the display and manipulation of characters from multiple languages (i.e., single- and double-byte characters) within a single database, while double-byte code pages require a separate database for each supported language. Because there are four different double byte code pages (i.e., one each for Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese), a system relying on individual code page support for the four languages would require four separate databases and configurations. Unicode, on the other hand, can be thought of as an all-encompassing code page that contains all of the major characters in the world, including the four double-byte code pages.

At Onyx, we've chosen to use Unicode because of the clear advantages it offers our global customers:

• First, Unicode allows users to enter characters from multiple languages into the same database-a highly convenient solution for companies that need to share information on a global basis. Onyx customers can rely on one central database to support all users, regardless of the language they use. Users can input, search, access, and manipulate data in their native language through any Onyx CRM portal product; all they need is an Internet connection and the URL for their Onyx CRM application.
• Second, by enabling the consolidation of all customer information into one multiple-language database, Unicode also simplifies and reduces resource requirements for database configuration and administration—a savings of time and money for Onyx customers.

In essence, the company gets the best of both worlds by being able to consolidate all the information into one database but at the same time providing access to Onyx products to anyone in the world.

Internationalization

Localization

Multi-byte Character Support

International Product FAQ

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