diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcExecutionContextDao.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcExecutionContextDao.java
index 3a0f027bf..239f8c30c 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcExecutionContextDao.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcExecutionContextDao.java
@@ -16,19 +16,19 @@
 
 package org.springframework.batch.core.repository.dao;
 
+import java.sql.PreparedStatement;
 import java.sql.ResultSet;
 import java.sql.SQLException;
-import java.sql.PreparedStatement;
-import java.util.Map.Entry;
 import java.util.HashMap;
-import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Map.Entry;
 
 import org.springframework.batch.core.JobExecution;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.StepExecution;
 import org.springframework.batch.item.ExecutionContext;
-import org.springframework.jdbc.core.simple.ParameterizedRowMapper;
 import org.springframework.jdbc.core.PreparedStatementSetter;
+import org.springframework.jdbc.core.simple.ParameterizedRowMapper;
 import org.springframework.jdbc.support.lob.DefaultLobHandler;
 import org.springframework.jdbc.support.lob.LobHandler;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
@@ -63,12 +63,28 @@ public class JdbcExecutionContextDao extends AbstractJdbcBatchMetadataDao implem
 	private static final String UPDATE_STEP_EXECUTION_CONTEXT = "UPDATE %PREFIX%STEP_EXECUTION_CONTEXT "
 			+ "SET SHORT_CONTEXT = ?, SERIALIZED_CONTEXT = ? " + "WHERE STEP_EXECUTION_ID = ?";
 
-	private static final int MAX_VARCHAR_LENGTH = 2500;
+	private static final int DEFAULT_MAX_VARCHAR_LENGTH = 2500;
+
+	private int shortContextLength = DEFAULT_MAX_VARCHAR_LENGTH;
 
 	private LobHandler lobHandler = new DefaultLobHandler();
 
 	private ExecutionContextStringSerializer serializer;
 
+	/**
+	 * The maximum size that an execution context can have and still be stored
+	 * completely in short form in the column <code>SHORT_CONTEXT</code>.
+	 * Anything longer than this will overflow into large-object storage, and
+	 * the first part only will be retained in the short form for readability.
+	 * Default value is 2500. Clients using multi-bytes charsets on the database
+	 * server may need to reduce this value to as little as half the value of
+	 * the column size.
+	 * @param shortContextLength
+	 */
+	public void setShortContextLength(int shortContextLength) {
+		this.shortContextLength = shortContextLength;
+	}
+
 	public ExecutionContext getExecutionContext(JobExecution jobExecution) {
 		Long executionId = jobExecution.getId();
 		Assert.notNull(executionId, "ExecutionId must not be null.");
@@ -163,8 +179,10 @@ public class JdbcExecutionContextDao extends AbstractJdbcBatchMetadataDao implem
 
 		final String shortContext;
 		final String longContext;
-		if (serializedContext.length() > MAX_VARCHAR_LENGTH) {
-			shortContext = serializedContext.substring(0, MAX_VARCHAR_LENGTH - 4) + " ...";
+		if (serializedContext.length() > shortContextLength) {
+			// Overestimate length of ellipsis to be on the safe side with
+			// 2-byte chars
+			shortContext = serializedContext.substring(0, shortContextLength - 8) + " ...";
 			longContext = serializedContext;
 		}
 		else {