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Extending Informix®
Beyond standard relational database objects, HCL Informix® can be extended to handle specialized data types, access methods, routines, and other objects. Informix includes many built-in extensions that are fully integrated in the database server. Informix also provides DataBlade® modules, which are packages of extended database objects for a particular purpose and that are installed separately from the database server. Alternatively, you can create your own user-defined objects for Informix.
Creating extensions
You can create user-defined data types, routines, access methods, and other database objects to suit your needs. You can use application programming interfaces to write user-defined routines and applications that access data in Informix® databases.
DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide
The Informix® DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide describes information about the DataBlade API, the C-language application programming interface (API) provided with HCL Informix.
Create user-defined routines
Develop a user-defined routine
A C user-defined routine (UDR) is a UDR that is written in the C language and uses the server-side implementation of the DataBlade® API to communicate with the database server. C UDRs (functions and procedures) are implemented as C-language functions. DataBlade modules often include C UDRs that are made available for use by registering them in the database.
Change a UDR
This section provides information about how to alter a C UDR and how to unload a shared-object file.

Extending Informix®
Beyond standard relational database objects, HCL Informix® can be extended to handle specialized data types, access methods, routines, and other objects. Informix includes many built-in extensions that are fully integrated in the database server. Informix also provides DataBlade® modules, which are packages of extended database objects for a particular purpose and that are installed separately from the database server. Alternatively, you can create your own user-defined objects for Informix.
- Informix® extensions and DataBlade® modules
  These topics describe how to use built-in database extensions and separately installed DataBlade® modules.
- Creating extensions
  You can create user-defined data types, routines, access methods, and other database objects to suit your needs. You can use application programming interfaces to write user-defined routines and applications that access data in Informix® databases.
  - DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide
    The Informix® DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide describes information about the DataBlade API, the C-language application programming interface (API) provided with HCL Informix.
    - DataBlade® API overview
    - Data manipulation
    - Database access
    - Create user-defined routines
      - Develop a user-defined routine
        A C user-defined routine (UDR) is a UDR that is written in the C language and uses the server-side implementation of the DataBlade® API to communicate with the database server. C UDRs (functions and procedures) are implemented as C-language functions. DataBlade modules often include C UDRs that are made available for use by registering them in the database.
        Designing a UDR
        This section provides the following design considerations for the development of a C UDR: development tools, uses of a UDR, portability, and insert and update operations.
        Creating UDR code
        This section provides an overview of C UDR development.
        Compile a C UDR
        To compile a C UDR, use a C compiler to compile the source file (.c file extension) into an object file (.o file extension) and create a shared-object file that contains the object file.
        Register a C UDR
        The CREATE FUNCTION statement registers user-defined functions in the database. The CREATE PROCEDURE statement registers user-defined procedures in the database. These functions store information about the UDR in the sysprocedures system catalog table.
        Execute a UDR
        Debug a UDR
        Because a UDR runs as part of the database server process, the routine must not do anything that might negatively affect the running of the database server, such as exiting. This section provides information about how to use a C debugger to attach to a virtual processor, handle the debugging session of a C UDR, and use DataBlade® API tracing.
        Change a UDR
        This section provides information about how to alter a C UDR and how to unload a shared-object file.
        Alter a routine
        The SQL statements ALTER FUNCTION, ALTER PROCEDURE, and ALTER ROUTINE allow you to alter some of the routine modifiers of a UDR after the UDR has been registered.
        Unload a shared-object file
        In an attempt to keep memory usage to a minimum, the routine manager attempts to unload a shared-object file when it finds that no one is using any of its UDRs. That is, it unloads a shared-object file when all references to the UDRs within the shared-object file are removed from the internal cache of the database server and any one of them is marked as being dropped.
      - Write a user-defined routine
        This section outlines some implementation issues for C user-defined routines (UDRs). This section also describes the specific features and tasks of a C UDR.
      - Manage memory
        A C user-defined routine (UDR) has access to shared memory for dynamic allocations and stack memory for routine arguments (including the MI_FPARAM structure), local stack variables, and return values.
      - Create special-purpose UDRs
        This section describes how to create special UDRs, such as iterator functions, user-defined aggregates, and optimization functions.
      - Extend data types
        This section describes the ways to extend data types with C user-defined routines (UDRs).
    - Appendix
      This section contains additional reference information.
  - DataBlade® API Function Reference
    The Informix® DataBlade® API Function Reference describes the DataBlade API functions and the subset of Informix ESQL/C functions that the DataBlade API supports.
  - DataBlade® Developers Kit
    The DataBlade® Developers Kit (DBDK) guides contain information about the tools you can use to develop and package DataBlade modules, which extend the functionality of HCL Informix® databases.
  - J/Foundation Developer's Guide
    The J/Foundation Developer's Guide describes how to write user-defined routines (UDRs) in the Java™ programming language for Informix®.
  - R-Tree Index User's Guide
    The Informix® R-Tree Index User's Guide describes the HCL Informix R-tree secondary access method and how to access and use its components.
  - User-Defined Routines and Data Types Developer's Guide
    The Informix® User-Defined Routines and Data Types Developer's Guide describes how to define new data types and enable user-defined routines (UDRs) to extend HCL Informix.
  - Virtual-Table Interface Guide
    The Informix® Virtual-Table Interface Programmer's Guide explains how to create a primary access method with the Virtual-Table Interface (VTI) so that users have a single SQL interface to HCL Informix tables and to data that does not conform to the storage scheme of HCL Informix.
  - Virtual-Index Interface Guide
    The Informix® Virtual-Index Interface Programmer's Guide explains how to create a secondary access method with the Virtual-Index Interface (VII) to extend the built-in indexing schemes of HCL Informix typically with a DataBlade® module.

Change a UDR

This section provides information about how to alter a C UDR and how to unload a shared-object file.