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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® 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.
DataBlade® Module Development Overview
The HCL Informix® DataBlade® module overview serves as an overview of the HCL Informix DataBlade module development process.
Build a DataBlade® module
DataBlade® module development resources
The DataBlade® Developers Kit includes various resources to help you learn about and develop DataBlade modules.
Example DataBlade® modules
Example DataBlade® modules are included with the DataBlade Developers Kit software.

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 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.
    - DataBlade® Module Development Overview
      The HCL Informix® DataBlade® module overview serves as an overview of the HCL Informix DataBlade module development process.
      - DataBlade® module concepts
      - Build a DataBlade® module
        DataBlade® Developers Kit tools
        The DataBlade® Developers Kit includes graphical user interfaces for creating, packaging, and registering DataBlade modules, and tools for debugging DataBlade modules on Windows™.
        How to create a DataBlade® module
        While the tools run only on Windows™, you can create DataBlade® modules for both Windows and UNIX™ operating systems for the C, C++, and Java™ languages. The tools you use on each operating system and for each programming language vary.
        DataBlade® module development resources
        The DataBlade® Developers Kit includes various resources to help you learn about and develop DataBlade modules.
        The DataBlade® Developers Kit Tutorial
        The DataBlade® Developers Kit Tutorial is a set of HTML documents that you access through the information center.
        Example DataBlade® modules
        Example DataBlade® modules are included with the DataBlade Developers Kit software.
      - Appendixes
        This section contains additional reference information.
    - DataBlade® Developers Kit User's Guide
      The HCL Informix® DataBlade® Developers Kit User's Guide describes how to use tools to develop and package DataBlade modules.
    - DBDK InfoShelf
      The DataBlade® Developers Kit InfoShelf is designed to help you work with BladeSmith.
  - 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.

Example DataBlade® modules

Example DataBlade® modules are included with the DataBlade® Developers Kit software.

Example DataBlade® modules are in the %INFORMIXDIR%\dbdk\examples directory. The information center has descriptions of the example DataBlade® modules with links to readme files and source code.

The example DataBlade® modules are frequently updated. The topics you might find covered in the example DataBlade® modules include:

Client. Using extended data types with ESQL/C and C++ client programs.
Routines. Using user-defined routines written with the DataBlade® API and using MMX technology.
Types. Using extended data types that have support routines written with the DataBlade® API, use MMX technology, are implemented as ActiveX value objects, and create user-defined statistics.