Most grids include the ability to set ascending/descending aspect of the first column.
^ indicates Ascending – numbers listed first, than A, B and so on in alphabetical order
^ indicates Descending order – Z listed first, than Y and so on in reverse alphabetical order
You can change which is the first column of every grid by moving the column.
By default, the Firebird server (whether using the default stand-alone embedded or the network Firebird configuration) uses ASCII-Sort order.
The ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) guidelines are followed. This means internationally accepted standards for character values are used when determining sort order when using Firebird database server.
When you sort the client grid, for example, that the customer name Baker displays before the customer name baker, since B precedes b in ASCII sort order.
The SQL Server (and the free SQL Express) by default sort alphabetically without taking into consideration case.