Re: converting from one locale to another

Tony Grant <tony(at)tgds(dot)net> writes:
> I need to convert an existing database from the default locale to locale
> fr_FR because the client is fed up of using "." as a decimal
> separator...

> Can I just import my dump file and all the decimal points will be
> converted auto-magically?

You do not need to dump/reload to change LC_MONETARY; a quick SET will
do, or change the default in postgresql.conf.

That's the good news. The bad news is that ordinary I/O of numbers does
not pay attention to LC_MONETARY (by design, and per SQL spec, so don't
bother complaining). The only formatting that does pay attention is
to_char() and to_number() conversion. So, while you don't need to do
anything much to your data, you do have a bit of SQL coding in front
of you to use those functions where appropriate.

regards, tom lane