Changing table column size

I'm new to mssql.

I need to change the size of a column of a table from char(255) to char(500). I used the line:

alter table table_name alter column column_name char(500)

When I run that command, I get a message that it was sucessful. However, when I try to enter data into the changed column, the number of characters I can enter is still 255. I check the information schema for the column and the 'character_maximum_length' field is 500.

What is the problem here? Is the maximum allowable length for char 255? How can I get a column to have 500 characters?Really?

USE Northwind
GO

CREATE TABLE myTable99(Col1 char(250))
GO

INSERT INTO myTable99(Col1)
SELECT REPLICATE('x',250) UNION ALL
SELECT REPLICATE('x',25) UNION ALL
SELECT REPLICATE('x',2)
GO

SELECT LEN(Col1) FROM myTable99
GO

-- Will Fail
INSERT INTO myTable99(Col1)
SELECT REPLICATE('x',500)
GO

ALTER TABLE myTable99 ALTER COLUMN Col1 char(500)
GO

INSERT INTO myTable99(Col1)
SELECT REPLICATE('x',500)
GO

SELECT LEN(Col1) FROM myTable99
GO

DROP TABLE myTable99
GO|||xiphias, you're probably testing the number of characters inserted by doing SELECT col_name FROM table. At this point you see only 255 characters, right? Check your QA settings (Tools/Options/Results/Maximum characters per column)|||Haha. That was the problem. I changed the settings and now I can see all the characters.

Now I try to do queries with the database with PHP and the number of characters return from the query is 255 again. Is there some setting file that I have to change in PHP?|||Your's is an interface problem...has nothing to do with sql server...

What's PHP?|||Sorry, I didn't know what was wrong..

PHP is a programming language for dynamic web pages. I guess I'll have to ask that in a different forum.

Thanks for the help.|||True, it seems you need to control from PHP point of view also.sql