HCL Informix® data types

Select a data type provides a chart for selecting correct data types for the columns of a table depending on the type of data that will be stored. The following figure shows a hierarchy of data types that reflects how the database server manages the data types.
Figure 1. Informix® data types
This figure shows rectangles that represent categories of data. Lines connecting the rectangles illustrate parent and child relationships. The top rectangle, "DATA TYPES," has two children: "Built-in data types" and "Extended data types." "Built-in data types" has two children. One of them, "Predefined data," is also a child of "Extended data types." The other child of "Built-in data types" is "Fundamental or atomic." "Fundamental or atomic" has four children: "Character," "Numeric," "Time," and "Simple Large Objects: TEXT BYTE." "Extended data types" has one child: "Predefined data," which has four children: "LVARCHAR", "BOOLEAN", "Smart Large Objects: BLOB, CLOB," and "Other predefined data types."