# Got strange characters in results - TOAD 10.6 **URL:** \ **Category:** Toad for Oracle & DevOps Toolkit\ **Created:** [March 14, 2011, 11:26am UTC](https://forums.toadworld.com/t/got-strange-characters-in-results-toad-10-6/10309 "2011-03-14T11:26:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nma01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@nma01](https://forums.toadworld.com/u/nma01)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 11:26am UTC](https://forums.toadworld.com/t/got-strange-characters-in-results-toad-10-6/10309/1 "2011-03-14T11:26:14Z")
We installed TOAD 10.6 and when I did test run, I noticed some columns showed some strange characters. For instance, currency code should be USD, but the result show something like 单D䜀U某๔\_ Please advise on how to get ride of them. Thanks, NMA. ---
**Author:** ![NormTeamT](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/quest/user_avatar/forums.toadworld.com/normteamt/32/53_2.png) [@NormTeamT](https://forums.toadworld.com/u/NormTeamT)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 11:26am UTC](https://forums.toadworld.com/t/got-strange-characters-in-results-toad-10-6/10309/2 "2011-03-14T11:26:14Z")
> > We installed TOAD 10.6 and when I did test run, I noticed > > some columns showed some strange characters. For instance, > > currency code should be USD, but the result show something > > like 单D䜀U某๔\_ > > > > Please advise on how to get ride of them. Thanks, NMA. I suspect that your problem is the fact that TOAD now does UTF whereas your previous versions did not. You may be using a font that cannot display UTF characters. Try "Courier New" which can but "Courier" cannot. If that doesn't resolve the problem, what is the NLS\_LANG setting for your Oracle client and also, what is the database character set and nls\_character\_set. Also, "select dump(column\_name, 16) from table where ..." - column\_name is the column holding the USD data, and the where clause should limit that to a few rows. Cheers, Norm. [TeamT] Information in this message may be confidential and may be legally privileged. If you have received this message by mistake, please notify the sender immediately, delete it and do not copy it to anyone else. We have checked this email and its attachments for viruses. But you should still check any attachment before opening it. We may have to make this message and any reply to it public if asked to under the Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Act or for litigation. Email messages and attachments sent to or from any Environment Agency address may also be accessed by someone other than the sender or recipient, for business purposes. If we have sent you information and you wish to use it please read our terms and conditions which you can get by calling us on 08708 506 506. Find out more about the Environment Agency at [www.environment-agency.gov.uk](http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk) ---
**Author:** ![nma01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@nma01](https://forums.toadworld.com/u/nma01)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 11:57am UTC](https://forums.toadworld.com/t/got-strange-characters-in-results-toad-10-6/10309/3 "2011-03-14T11:57:32Z")
Hi Norm, Thanks for your reply. I never check/setup TOAD language part. Please advise how to do that. There is no database change at all and both 9.0.1 and 10.6 use the same databases. Thanks, NMA ---
**Author:** ![NormTeamT](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/quest/user_avatar/forums.toadworld.com/normteamt/32/53_2.png) [@NormTeamT](https://forums.toadworld.com/u/NormTeamT)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 11:23am UTC](https://forums.toadworld.com/t/got-strange-characters-in-results-toad-10-6/10309/4 "2011-03-16T11:23:59Z")
Sorry, missed this one. Apologies for the delay. To check your client NLS\_LANG settings, do the following: 1. Start a DOS session. Type set nls\_lang and press return. If you get “Environment variable nls\_lang not defined” go to step 2. Otherwise, go to step 3. 2. Start-\>run. Type regedit and click OK. Navigate to HKLM/software/oracle/HOMEn. (n is the digit at the end of the Oracle Home you are using. If you have more than one installed. Open each one till you find the setting for ORACLE\_HOME that matches the one you use in Toad.) Once in the correct HOMEn, look for NLS\_LANG on the right side. There should be a value in it. If so, go to step 3. Otherwise, I would say that your client install is not correct. 1. You have a value for NLS\_LANG now, it is in three parts. My own setting for 11g client is “ENGLISH\_UNITED KINGDOM.WE8MSWIN1252”. The three parts are: ENGLISH - language. UNITED KINGDOM - Territory. WE8MSWIN1252 - Client character set. Now we have some client values, we can check the database. In Toad, connect to the database. You may need SYSTEM access for the rest, but possibly not. Run the SQL command “select \* from v$nls\_parameters;” you should get a list of data coming back, some of which is as follows: PARAMETER VALUE ---
**Author:** ![ShaneClements](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@ShaneClements](https://forums.toadworld.com/u/ShaneClements)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://forums.toadworld.com/t/got-strange-characters-in-results-toad-10-6/10309/5 "2012-05-10T15:19:11Z")
I have a similar problem. I have set the NLS\_LANG. Set regional settings in Windows. When I check regedit there appears to be no key for NLS\_LANG. I tried the query for the select \* from v$nls\_parameters, but this also comes back looking like Japanese charicters. I have also tried modifying the font to UTF friendly courier new under data-grids visual, etc. Are there some other things I can try? ---
**Author:** ![m.aerhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@m.aerhil](https://forums.toadworld.com/u/m.aerhil)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 5:04am UTC](https://forums.toadworld.com/t/got-strange-characters-in-results-toad-10-6/10309/6 "2016-05-02T05:04:44Z")
Dears, plese i have the same problem , the data grid show as 췣쿣쿦촠유췑 can help me? regards , ---
**Author:** ![GTDG](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/quest/user_avatar/forums.toadworld.com/gtdg/32/140_2.png) [@GTDG](https://forums.toadworld.com/u/GTDG)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 5:15am UTC](https://forums.toadworld.com/t/got-strange-characters-in-results-toad-10-6/10309/7 "2016-05-02T05:15:20Z")
You may want to look at some of the blog posts on this subject: [www.toadworld.com/…/identifying-the-source-of-potential-unicode-issues-in-toad-174-for-oracle](http://www.toadworld.com/products/toad-for-oracle/b/weblog/archive/2010/09/15/identifying-the-source-of-potential-unicode-issues-in-toad-174-for-oracle) [www.toadworld.com/…/what-is-unicode-part-1](http://www.toadworld.com/platforms/oracle/b/weblog/archive/2009/06/01/what-is-unicode-part-1) [www.toadworld.com/…/what-is-unicode-part-2](http://www.toadworld.com/products/toad-for-oracle/b/weblog/archive/2009/06/08/what-is-unicode-part-2) **From:** m.aerhil [[mailto:bounce-maerhil@toadworld.com](mailto:bounce-maerhil@toadworld.com)] **Sent:** Monday, May 02, 2016 8:07 AM **To:** [toadoracle@toadworld.com](mailto:toadoracle@toadworld.com) **Subject:** RE: [Toad for Oracle - Discussion Forum] Got strange characters in results - TOAD 10.6 **[RE: Got strange characters in results - TOAD 10.6](http://www.toadworld.com/products/toad-for-oracle/f/10/p/10089/60403#60403)** Reply by m.aerhil dears plese i have the same problem , the data grid show as 췣쿣쿦촠유췑 To reply, please reply-all to this email. [Stop receiving emails](http://www.toadworld.com/products/toad-for-oracle/f/10/t/10089?subscribe=false) on this subject. Or [ Unsubscribe from Toad for Oracle - General](http://www.toadworld.com/products/toad-for-oracle/f/10?subscribe=false) notifications altogether. Toad for Oracle - Discussion Forum [Flag](http://www.toadworld.com/products/toad-for-oracle/f/10/p/10089/60403?AbuseContentId=5ead452c-324f-4310-b298-858a0f0ff917&AbuseContentTypeId=f586769b-0822-468a-b7f3-a94d480ed9b0&AbuseFlag=true) this post as spam/abuse. ---
**Author:** ![JohnDorlon](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/quest/user_avatar/forums.toadworld.com/johndorlon/32/9997_2.png) [@JohnDorlon](https://forums.toadworld.com/u/JohnDorlon)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://forums.toadworld.com/t/got-strange-characters-in-results-toad-10-6/10309/8 "2016-05-02T05:19:17Z")
Many have seen this problem go away just by installing a newer Oracle client.