HTML encode user input when storing or when displaying

Question

Simple question that keeps bugging me.

Should I HTML encode user input right away and store the encoded contents in the database, or should I store the raw values an

Answer 1

Keep in mind that you may need to access the database with something that doesn't understand HTML encoded text (e.g., a reporting tool). I agree that space is a non-issue, but IMHO, putting HTML encoding in the database moves knowledge of your view/front end into the lowest tier in the application, and that is a design mistake.