Hi,
This is what i got from help.
Before Release 6.10, SAP software only used character sets based on codes such as ASCII and EBCDIC. In these codes every character is displayed by one byte, therefore character sets like these are also called single-byte codepages. However, every one of these character sets is only suitable for a limited number of languages. These codes are not sufficient for displaying East Asian languages, so double-byte codepages are used in which every byte consists of one or two bytes.
Problems arise if you try to work with texts written in different incompatible character sets in one central system. If, for example, a system only has a West European character set, other characters cannot be correctly processed. Attempting to exchange data between systems with incompatible character sets can lead to errors.
As of 6.10, to resolve these issues, SAP has introduced Unicode, a form of encoding that complies with ISO/IEC 10646 and covers all languages. Each character is generally mapped using 16 bits (=2 bytes) and this offers a maximum of 65 536 bit combinations.
This conversion to Unicode affects any ABAP programs in which an explicit or implicit assumption is made about the internal length of a character. For an ABAP program to run under Unicode, you must have installed a Unicode-enabled SAP System, connected to a suitable operating system and database.
Thus, a Unicode-compatible ABAP program is one where all Unicode checks are in effect. Such programs return the same results in Unicode systems as in non-Unicode systems. To perform the relevant syntax checks, you must activate the "Unicode checks" flag in the screens of the program and class attributes.
In a Unicode system, you can only execute programs for which the Unicode flag has been set. If the Unicode flag is set for a program, the syntax is checked and the program executed according to the rules described in this document, regardless of whether the system is a Unicode or non-Unicode system. In future, the Unicode flag will be set for all new programs and classes.
If the Unicode flag is not set, the program can only be executed in a non-Unicode system. Unicode-specific syntax and semantic changes do not apply to such programs. However, you can use all language extensions that have been introduced as part of SAP's conversion to Unicode.
As a result of the modifications and restrictions associated with the Unicode flag, programs are largely executed with the same semantics in both Unicode and non-Unicode systems. Occasionally, however, there may be differences. Therefore, programs designed to run on both systems must be tested on both platforms.
You can refer the below URL also..
<a href="http://jdc.joy.com/helpdata/EN/62/3f2cadb35311d5993800508b6b8b11/frameset.htm">Unicode</a>
Message was edited by: Phani Kiran Nudurupati
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