Establish what is happening
Choose recognizable characters
Find a sanitized record with an accented name, a symbol, or a non-Latin word whose intended spelling is known. Compare the source producer’s display, import preview, and saved record. Record the first stage where the same value changes rather than judging the entire file by appearance.
Capture the decoding assumptions
Record the producer, declared encoding if available, byte-order mark, and importer settings. Check whether automatic detection or an explicit choice was used. A filename extension does not establish encoding, and a file containing only simple Latin characters cannot distinguish several plausible interpretations.
Separate replacement from display defects
Inspect whether the stored text already contains replacement characters or whether only one view displays it incorrectly. Compare a second supported view without modifying the record. Keep the original bytes and expected spelling attached so the next owner can test a decoding hypothesis directly.
What to carry forward
End with a known character example, source bytes, decoding settings, and the first divergent surface. State whether recovery from the original file is still possible. A screenshot of garbled text alone cannot establish the original encoding or prove that stored values are intact.
Technical background: PostgreSQL documentation.
Keep the decision with the work.
Use a Work Item in Aglet to record the problem, the evidence you have, and the next decision. Add an owner and priority, then keep updates in the discussion so the next person can follow the reasoning.
Create an account See the product workflow