# Illegal mix of collations

### QB / QBOX users

QB and QBOX servers use the `players.citizenid` column.

#### What to do

Change the **collation** of the `citizenid` column in the `players` table.

**Target collation:**

```
utf8mb4_unicode_ci
```

#### SQL

```sql
ALTER TABLE players
  MODIFY citizenid VARCHAR(11)
  CHARACTER SET utf8mb4
  COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
```

<figure><img src="https://2871934268-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F2fIixnGLPdOP9pqrbIH5%2Fuploads%2F7vUngg6ZNIQmCrzIfFkR%2FEkran%20g%C3%B6r%C3%BCnt%C3%BCs%C3%BC%202026-02-09%20032135.png?alt=media&#x26;token=3d5b98e4-0758-4486-b28f-c64c1f81261e" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

### ESX users

ESX servers use the `users.identifier` column.

#### What to do

Change the **collation** of the `identifier` column in the `users` table.

**Target collation:**

```
utf8mb3_general_ci
```

#### SQL

```sql
ALTER TABLE users
  MODIFY identifier VARCHAR(60)
  CHARACTER SET utf8mb4
  COLLATE utf8mb3_general_ci;
```

<figure><img src="https://2871934268-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F2fIixnGLPdOP9pqrbIH5%2Fuploads%2FdfFXFdGLjsCgfmjMW8tT%2FEkran%20g%C3%B6r%C3%BCnt%C3%BCs%C3%BC%202026-02-09%20032040.png?alt=media&#x26;token=6d0ac71c-b22e-44f8-8a9c-7224aa9a664c" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

### Notes

* You can also change the collation manually via **HeidiSQL** or **phpMyAdmin**.
* A **server restart** is recommended after applying the change.
* No script changes are required.

***

### Example error logs

```txt
Illegal mix of collations (utf8mb4_general_ci,IMPLICIT)
and (utf8mb4_unicode_ci,IMPLICIT) for operation '='
```