MySQL 9.1 Release Notes
SET NAMES {'charset_name'
[COLLATE 'collation_name'] | DEFAULT}
This statement sets the three session system variables
character_set_client,
character_set_connection, and
character_set_results to the
given character set. Setting
character_set_connection to
charset_name also sets
collation_connection to the
default collation for charset_name. See
Section 12.4, “Connection Character Sets and Collations”.
The optional COLLATE clause may be used to
specify a collation explicitly. If given, the collation must one
of the permitted collations for
charset_name.
charset_name and
collation_name may be quoted or
unquoted.
The default mapping can be restored by using a value of
DEFAULT. The default depends on the server
configuration.
Some character sets cannot be used as the client character set.
Attempting to use them with SET
NAMES produces an error. See
Impermissible Client Character Sets.