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Client APIs and tools
You can use the HCL Informix® implementation of client APIs to develop applications for Informix database servers.
Informix® ODBC Driver Guide
The Informix® ODBC Driver Programmer's Manual serves as a user guide and reference for Informix ODBC Driver, which is the Informix implementation of the Microsoft™ Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) interface, Version 3.0.
Data types
These topics contain information about the data types that are supported by Informix® ODBC Driver.
SQL data types
HCL Informix® database server uses SQL data types.
Additional SQL data types for Informix®
Additional HCL Informix® SQL data types for Informix have corresponding Informix ODBC Driver data types.

Client APIs and tools
You can use the HCL Informix® implementation of client APIs to develop applications for Informix database servers.
- Change Data Capture API Programmer's Guide
  The Informix® Change Data Capture API Programmer's Guide describes how to program applications to process changed data from HCL Informix databases using the Informix Change Data Capture API.
- Embedded SQLJ for HCL Informix®
  The Informix® Embedded SQLJ User's Guide contains information about using Informix Embedded SQLJ.
- ESQL/C Guide
  The Informix® ESQL/C Programmer's Manual explains how to use Informix ESQL/C, the Informix implementation of Embedded Structured Query Language (SQL) for C (ESQL/C), to create client applications with database-management capabilities.
- GLS User's Guide
  The Informix® GLS User's Guide describes the Global Language Support (GLS) feature available in Informix products.
- API
  The Informix® GLS API Programmer's Guide describes the global language support (GLS) application programming interface (API) available in Informix ESQL/C and HCL Informix DataBlade® modules.
- Informix® Object Interface for C++ Guide
  The Informix® Object Interface for C++ Programmer's Guide describes how to develop HCL Informix client applications by using the object-oriented C++ programming language.
- Informix® ODBC Driver Guide
  The Informix® ODBC Driver Programmer's Manual serves as a user guide and reference for Informix ODBC Driver, which is the Informix implementation of the Microsoft™ Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) interface, Version 3.0.
  - Overview of HCL Informix® ODBC Driver
    These topics introduce the Informix® ODBC Driver and describe its advantages and architecture. The topics also describe conformance, isolation and lock levels, libraries, and environment variables.
  - Configure data sources
    These topics explain how to configure a data source (DSN) on UNIX™ and Windows™ for Informix® ODBC Driver.
  - Data types
    These topics contain information about the data types that are supported by Informix® ODBC Driver.
    - Data types
      Informix® ODBC Driver supports five different data types.
    - SQL data types
      HCL Informix® database server uses SQL data types.
      - Standard SQL data types
      - Additional SQL data types for GLS
      - Additional SQL data types for Informix®
        Additional HCL Informix® SQL data types for Informix have corresponding Informix ODBC Driver data types.
      - Precision, scale, length, and display size
        The functions that get and set precision, scale, length, and display size for SQL values have size limitations for their input arguments.
    - C data types
      Informix® ODBC Driver applications use C data types to store values that the application processes.
    - Report standard ODBC types
      Informix® ODBC Driver supports existing applications that support standard ODBC data types only. Check the DSN option Report Standard ODBC Types to turn on this behavior.
    - Convert data
      The word convert is used in this section in a broad sense; it includes the transfer of data from one storage location to another without a conversion in data type.
  - Smart large objects
    These topics describe how to store, create, and access a smart large object; how to transfer smart-large-object data; how to retrieve the status of a smart large object; and how to read or write a smart large object to or from a file.
  - Rows and collections
    Rows and collections are composite values that consist of one or more elements.
  - Client functions
    These topics describe the Informix® ODBC Driver client functions. Use these functions to access and manipulate smart large objects and rows and collections.
  - Application tracking in ODBC
    Set the CLIENT_LABEL environment variable in CSDK 4.50.xC4 onwards to assign a character string to ODBC client session and identify that character string on the database server. You can use this variable to distinguish one database session from the other.
  - Improve application performance
    These topics suggest ways to improve performance of Informix® ODBC Driver applications.
  - Error messages
    These topics describe the Informix® ODBC Driver error messages.
  - Unicode
    These topics provide a brief overview of the Unicode standard and shows how it is used within ODBC applications.
  - ODBC Smart trigger
- .NET provider options
  The Data Server Provider for .NET DB2® provider option is the preferred Informix® provider for developing new applications.
- Informix® JDBC Driver Guide
  The Informix® JDBC Driver Programmer's Guide describes how to install, load, and use Informix JDBC Driver to connect to the Informix database from within a Java™ application or applet.
- Informix International Language Supplement (ILS) User Guide
  These topics include information about the translated user interface files for Informix® UNIX™ products, locales, and code set conversion tables
- Informix® OLE DB Provider Guide
  The Informix® OLE DB Provider Programmer's Guide describes the software requirements for using Informix OLE DB Provider, show how to install and configure the provider for your use, and explain how to use Informix OLE DB Provider to enable client applications, such as ActiveX Data Object (ADO) applications and web pages, to access data on the Informix server.

Additional SQL data types for Informix®

Additional HCL Informix® SQL data types for Informix® have corresponding Informix® ODBC Driver data types.

The following table lists the additional HCL Informix® SQL data types for Informix® and their corresponding Informix® ODBC Driver data types. To use the Informix® ODBC driver SQL data types for Informix®, include infxcli.h.


Informix® SQL data type	Informix® ODBC driver SQL data type (fSqlType)	Description
Collection (LIST, MULTISET, SET)	Any Informix® ODBC driver SQL data type	Composite value that consists of one or more elements, where each element has the same data type.
DISTINCT	Any Informix® ODBC driver SQL data type	UDT that is stored the same way as its source data type but has different casts and functions
OPAQUE (fixed)	SQL_INFX_UDT_FIXED	Fixed-length UDT with an internal structure that has the same size for all possible values
OPAQUE (varying)	SQL_INFX_UDT_VARYING	Variable-length UDT with an internal structure that can have a different size for each different value
Row (Named row, unnamed row)	Any Informix® ODBC Driver SQL data type	Composite value that consists of one or more elements, where each element can have a different data type.
Smart large object (BLOB or CLOB)	SQL_IFMX_UDT_BLOB SQL_IFMX_UDT_CLOB	Large object that is stored in an sbspace on disk and is recoverable.