Oracle NLS_CHARSET_ID() Function

Oracle NLS_CHARSET_ID() is a built-in function that returns the ID corresponding to the given character set name.

The NLS_CHARSET_ID() function is the opposite of the NLS_CHARSET_NAME() function.

Oracle NLS_CHARSET_ID() Syntax

Here is the syntax for the Oracle NLS_CHARSET_ID() function:

NLS_CHARSET_ID(charset_name)

Parameters

charset_name

Required. The character set name. It should be a VARCHAR2 value.

Return Value

The Oracle NLS_CHARSET_ID() function returns the ID corresponding to the given character set name.

If you provide an invalid character set name, the function will return NULL.

If any of the parameters are NULL, NLS_CHARSET_ID() will return NULL.

Oracle NLS_CHARSET_ID() Examples

Here are some examples that demonstrate the usage of the Oracle NLS_CHARSET_ID() function.

Basic Usage

SELECT
    NLS_CHARSET_ID('WE8DEC')
FROM dual;

Output:

   NLS_CHARSET_ID('WE8DEC')
___________________________
                          2

Here is another example:

SELECT
    NLS_CHARSET_ID('ZHT16DBT')
FROM dual;

Output:

   NLS_CHARSET_ID('ZHT16DBT')
_____________________________
                          862

NULL Parameter

If any of the parameters are NULL, NLS_CHARSET_ID() will return NULL.

SET NULL 'NULL';
SELECT
    NLS_CHARSET_ID(NULL)
FROM dual;

Output:

   NLS_CHARSET_ID(NULL)
_______________________
                   NULL

In this example, we use the SET NULL 'NULL'; statement to display NULL values as the string 'NULL'.

Conclusion

The Oracle NLS_CHARSET_ID() is a built-in function that returns the ID corresponding to the given character set name.