> As for your suggestion about altering the collation [I do use 
> Saxox 8 .NET], Michael Kay suggested a long time ago a 
> collation that solved some other much more serious issues, so 
> I dare not change from his earlier suggestion.

You can mix the alphanumeric option with other options on the collation URI;
the other options affect how the non-numeric parts are sorted.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/