## F.24. mchar

The `mchar` module provides additional data types for compatibility with Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL).

### F.24.1. Overview

This module has been designed to improve 1C Enterprise support, most popular Russian CRM and ERP system.

It implements types MCHAR and MVARCHAR, which are bug-to-bug compatible with MSSQL CHAR and VARCHAR respectively. Additionally, these types use libicu for comparison and case conversion, so their behavior is identical across different operating systems.

PostgreSQL also includes citext extension which provides types similar to MCHAR. But this extension doesn't emulate MS-SQL behavior concerning end-of-value whitespace.

Differences from PostgreSQL standard CHAR and VARCHAR are:

- Case insensitive comparison

- Handling of the whitespace at the end of string

- These types are always stored as two-byte unicode value regardless of database encoding.

### F.24.2. Additional types

- `mchar` — analog of the MSSQL char type

- `mvarchar` — analog of the MSSQL varchar type

### F.24.3. MCHAR and MVARCHAR features

- Defines `length(str)` function

- Defines `substr(str, pos[, length])` function

- Defines `||` operator, which would be applied to concatenate any (mchar and mvarchar) arguments

- Defines set of operators: `<`, `<=` `=`, `>=`, `>` for case-insensitive comparison (LibICU)

- Defines set of operators: `&<`, `&<=`, `&=`, `&>=`, `&>` to case-sensitive comparison (LibICU)

- Implicit cast between `mchar` and `mvarchar` types

- B-tree and Hash-index support

- The `LIKE [ESCAPE]` operator support

- The `SIMILAR TO [ESCAPE]` operator support

- The ~ operator (POSIX regexp) support

- Index support for the LIKE operator

### F.24.4. Authors

Oleg Bartunov `<oleg@sai.msu.ru>`
Teodor Sigaev `<teodor@sigaev.ru>`