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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.
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.

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.
  - 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.

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.

It describes how to create an R-tree index on appropriate data types, how to create a new operator class that uses the R-tree access method to index a user-defined data type, and how to manage databases that use the R-tree secondary access method.

These topics are written for three distinct audiences:

Application developers
DataBlade® module developers
Database administrators

The following table describes the topics that are most relevant to each audience type. Although each topic has a specific audience, all users can benefit from reading the entire guide.


Topic	Audience
R-tree secondary access method concepts	All users who want in-depth knowledge of how R-tree indexes work
The R-tree secondary access method	Application developers and schema designers who use R-tree indexes to index existing tables or design schemas that contain tables that are indexed by R-tree indexes
Develop DataBlade modules that use the R-tree secondary access method	DataBlade® module developers who want to use the R-tree access method to index new data types by creating a new operator class
Manage databases that use the R-tree secondary access method	Database administrators who manage databases that contain R-tree indexes

These topics are written with the assumption that you have the following background:

A working knowledge of your computer, your operating system, and the utilities that your operating system provides
Some experience working with relational databases or exposure to database concepts
Some experience with computer programming
Some experience with database server administration, operating-system administration, or network administration

You must have a DataBlade® module or extension that uses the HCL Informix® R-tree secondary access method, such as the Informix® spatial solution, to use the R-tree secondary access method.

You can use the following application development tools with the R-tree secondary access method:

DB-Access
Informix® ESQL/C
DataBlade® API

You do not, however, need to install or use these tools to use the R-tree access method.

These topics are taken from Informix® R-Tree Index User's Guide.