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Data warehousing
In addition to designing and implementing Informix® dimensional databases, you can use tools to create data warehouse applications and optimize your data warehouse queries.
Informix® Warehouse Accelerator
The Informix® Warehouse Accelerator Administration Guide includes information about installing and configuring the accelerator server, creating data marts, accelerators, and accelerated query tables (AQTs).
SQL administration routines
You can use the Informix® Warehouse Accelerator functions and procedures from the command line or in an application to automate administration tasks.
ifx_xml2Mart() procedure
The ifx_xml2Mart() procedure converts a data mart definition from XML format into data mart schema tables.

Data warehousing
In addition to designing and implementing Informix® dimensional databases, you can use tools to create data warehouse applications and optimize your data warehouse queries.
- Dimensional databases
  The Informix® Data Warehouse Guide provides information to help you design, implement, and manage dimensional databases, and describes the tools that you can use to create data warehouses and optimize your data warehouse queries.
- Informix® Warehouse Accelerator
  The Informix® Warehouse Accelerator Administration Guide includes information about installing and configuring the accelerator server, creating data marts, accelerators, and accelerated query tables (AQTs).
  - Overview of Informix® Warehouse Accelerator
    Informix® Warehouse Accelerator is a product that you use to improve the performance of your warehouse queries.
  - Installation
    You can install Informix® Warehouse Accelerator on the same computer as the Informix database server, on a separate computer, or on a cluster (including a high-availability cluster).
  - Configuration
    You must configure the accelerator server to work with the Informix® database server.
  - Create an accelerator
    You create an accelerator by connecting the Informix® database server to the accelerator server.
  - Data marts and AQTs
    For efficient query processing, the accelerator server must have its own copy of the data. The data is stored in logical collections of related data, or data marts. A data mart specifies the collection of tables that are loaded into an accelerator and the relationships, or references, between these tables.
  - Turning on query acceleration
    Before queries can be routed to the accelerator server for processing, you must set the use_dwa session environment variable.
  - SQL administration routines
    You can use the Informix® Warehouse Accelerator functions and procedures from the command line or in an application to automate administration tasks.
    - SQL administration routines sorted by task
      SQL administration routines are sorted into logical areas based on the type of task.
    - ifx_createMart() function
      The ifx_createMart() function creates a data mart in an accelerator.
    - ifx_def2Mart() procedure
      The ifx_def2Mart() procedure uses the ifx_getMartdef() function to retrieve the data mart definition from an accelerator. It then uses the ifx_xml2Mart() procedure to store the data mart definition XML file in the data mart schema tables.
    - ifx_dropMart() function
      The ifx_dropMart() function drops (removes) the data mart from an accelerator.
    - dropPartMart() function
    - ifx_dropPartMart() function
      The ifx_dropPartMart() function removes the data in one partition in a fragmented table or all of the data from a non-fragmented table.
    - genMartDef() function
    - ifx_genMartDef() function
      The ifx_genMartDef() function returns a character large object (CLOB) that contains the data mart definition in XML format.
    - ifx_getdwaMetrics() function
      The ifx_getdwaMetrics() function returns metrics about an accelerator.
    - ifx_getMartdef() function
      The ifx_getMartdef() function retrieves the data mart definition from an accelerator and returns it as a character large object (CLOB) in XML format.
    - ifx_getMartStat() function
      The ifx_getMartStat() function returns the status of a single data mart as an unnamed row.
    - ifx_listMarts() function
      The ifx_listMarts() function returns a set of unnamed rows that contain the status for all the data marts in an accelerator.
    - ifx_loadMart() function
      The ifx_loadMart() function populates an empty data mart in an accelerator with data. The data is copied from the database tables that are referenced in the data mart definition.
    - loadPartMart() function
    - ifx_loadPartMart() function
      The ifx_loadPartMart() function loads the data into one partition in a fragmented table or into a non-fragmented table.
    - ifx_probe2Mart() procedure
      The ifx_probe2Mart() procedure converts the data that is gathered from probing into a data mart definition.
    - ifx_refreshMart() function
      The ifx_refreshMart() function checks for data changes in individual partitions and refreshes the changed partitions.
    - ifx_removeDWA() function
      The ifx_removeDWA() function removes (drops) an accelerator from the accelerator server. This function removes the connectivity information from the sqlhosts file in the Informix® database server. The data marts that are associated with the accelerator are not removed, but they are not accessible. Drop the data marts before you drop the accelerator.
    - ifx_removeTrickleFeed() function
      The ifx_removeTrickleFeed() function stops trickle feed so that data in the data mart is no longer continuously refreshed.
    - ifx_setMart() function
      The ifx_setMart() function changes the state of a data mart from Active to Disabled or from Disabled to Active.
    - ifx_setupDWA() function
      The ifx_setupDWA() function creates an accelerator in an accelerator server. This function creates the connection between the database server and the accelerator server. You can also use this function to renew the connectivity information for an accelerator.
    - ifx_setupTrickleFeed() function
      The ifx_setupTrickleFeed() function enables the continuous refreshing of data in the fact and dimension tables of the data mart as the data changes in the database.
    - ifx_TSDW_createWindow() function
      The ifx_TSDW_createWindow function creates a time window to limit the amount of time series data in a time series virtual table of a data mart.
    - ifx_TSDW_dropWindow() function
      The ifx_TSDW_dropWindow function removes time windows from a time series virtual table in a data mart.
    - ifx_TSDW_moveWindows() function
      The ifx_TSDW_moveWindows function moves time windows in a time series virtual table within a data mart.
    - ifx_TSDW_updatePartition() function
      The ifx_TSDW_updatePartition function refreshes the time series data within a time series virtual table in a data mart.
    - ifx_TSDW_setCalendar() function
      The ifx_TSDW_setCalendar function assigns a time series calendar to a time series virtual table in a data mart.
    - ifx_xml2Mart() procedure
      The ifx_xml2Mart() procedure converts a data mart definition from XML format into data mart schema tables.
  - Reversion requirements for Informix Warehouse Accelerator
  - Troubleshooting
  - Sample warehouse schema
    The Informix® Warehouse Accelerator examples use this sample warehouse schema.
  - Sysmaster interface (SMI) pseudo tables for query probing data
    The SMI tables provide a way to access probing data in a relational form, which is most convenient for further processing.

ifx_xml2Mart() procedure

The ifx_xml2Mart() procedure converts a data mart definition from XML format into data mart schema tables.

Syntax

data_mart_definition: The data mart definition in XML format (data type CLOB).
database_name: If you include the database name, the procedure checks that all the tables and columns that are contained in the data mart definition XML file are present in the database.

Usage

The ifx_xml2Mart() procedure converts a data mart definition that is in XML format into the data mart schema tables. You must run the ifx_xml2Mart() procedure in a logged database. If the data mart schema tables do not exist, they are created automatically. The following table lists the data mart schema tables.

Table 1. Data marts schema tables
Table	Description
'informix'.iwa_marts	Names of the data mart definitions
'informix'.iwa_tables	All of the tables that are used in any data mart definition
'informix'.iwa_columns	All of the columns that are used in any data mart definition
'informix'.iwa_mtabs	Tables for a specific data mart definition
'informix'.iwa_mcols	Columns for a specific data mart definition
'informix'.iwa_mrefs	References (join descriptors) of a specific data mart definition
'informix'.iwa_mrefcols	Reference columns (join predicates) of a specific data mart definition

Examples

This example shows how to convert a data mart definition that is stored in a file into data mart schema tables. The procedure checks that the tables and columns that are referenced in the data mart definition exist in database 'database1'.

EXECUTE procedure ifx_xml2Mart(filetoclob('mart.xml', 'client'), 'database1');