Collation rules

Collation rules are the guidelines used to determine how text is sorted and compared in databases and search functions. They specify the order in which characters are arranged—considering factors like alphabetic order, accents, case sensitivity, and language-specific rules. For example, in some collations, letters with accents are treated as different characters, while in others, accents are ignored. These rules ensure that sorting and searching behave consistently across different languages and contexts, making data retrieval accurate and culturally appropriate. Essentially, collation rules shape how text data is organized and compared in software systems.