Yes, there probably is a simple explanation.

But you haven't given us much to go on. "Short and simple" are great virtues, but not when they lead you to omit necessary information such as...

1. What database?
2. Where is it -- local or on another machine?
3. How did you get "the field out of the database?"
4. Do you have any idea how the string was encoded when it was entered into the DB?
5. What is the encoding used on your machine?

Off the top of my head, and relying only on the extensive information (NOT!) that you provided, an encoding mismatch seems to be one possibility (among many).

If you'll read How do I post a question effectively?, On asking for help and I know what I mean. Why don't you?, you'll find some tips on how to pose a question here in a form the Monks can use to help you.