Simone >If I use an alter session statement to set NLS_SORT and NLS_COMP the >change is conscripted to a single user session. So, exists a way to >set the two paramethers permanently? NLS_COMP and NLS_SORT can be set in init.ora as well as in the environment, according to Oracle9i Database Globalization Support Guide - 3 Setting Up a Globalization Support Environment (see eg at http://www.cs.umb.edu/cs634/ora9idocs/server.920/a96529/ch3.htm#51170) Or you can use a login trigger to set these at the beginning of every session: CREATE TRIGGER set_session_nls_params AFTER LOGON ON SCHEMA my_schema.schema -- or ON DATABASE if you prefer BEGIN DBMS_SESSION.SET_NLS('NLS_COMP', 'ANSI'); -- etc END; / Regards Nigel -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l