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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.
Informix® extensions and DataBlade® modules
These topics describe how to use built-in database extensions and separately installed DataBlade® modules.
Spatial Data User's Guide
The contains information to assist you in using the Informix® spatial extension. The Informix spatial extension adds custom data types and supporting routines to the server.
Spatial Java™ API
The spatial Java™ API enables Java applications to access geometry features that are stored in databases that contain spatial data. The spatial Java API provides classes to work with spatial objects from Java client-side programs. The client-side objects are called value objects. Spatial value objects can also be created and examined by Java methods that parallel some of the spatial data functions.
Overview of a Spatial Java™ API Application
Most spatial Java™ API applications need to perform the steps described in this section.

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.
  - Database Extensions User's Guide
    The Informix® Database Extensions User's Guide explains how to use the database extensions that come with HCL Informix: Large Object Locator, MQ messaging, binary data types, basic text search, node data type, and SQL packages.
  - Performing XML Publishing
    The Informix® XML User's Guide includes information about using built-in functions for XML publishing with Informix.
  - Spatial Data User's Guide
    The contains information to assist you in using the Informix® spatial extension. The Informix spatial extension adds custom data types and supporting routines to the server.
    - Getting started with spatial data
      The Informix® spatial solution embeds a geographic information system (GIS) within the Informix database server. The Informix spatial data types integrate spatial and non-spatial data, providing a seamless point of access using SQL (Structured Query Language).
    - Spatial data types
      Informix® spatial data types are divided into two categories: the base geometry subclasses and the homogeneous collection subclasses.
    - Data exchange formats
      You can use several different GIS data exchange formats for spatial data.
    - R-tree indexes
      An index organizes access to data so that entries can be found quickly, without searching every row. The R-tree access method enables you to index multidimensional objects.
    - Run parallel queries
      Running queries in parallel distributes the work for one aspect of a query among several processors and can dramatically improve performance.
    - Estimate your spatial data
      The total amount of space you need for spatial data is equal to the size of spatial tables plus the size of the spatial indexes.
    - Spatial functions
      Use specific spatial data type functions to perform operations on spatial data.
    - Spatial Java™ API
      The spatial Java™ API enables Java applications to access geometry features that are stored in databases that contain spatial data. The spatial Java API provides classes to work with spatial objects from Java client-side programs. The client-side objects are called value objects. Spatial value objects can also be created and examined by Java methods that parallel some of the spatial data functions.
      - Compatibility with the ESRI ArcSDE Java™ API
        The spatial Java™ API is compatible with the ESRI ArcSDE Java API. It provides a partial implementation of the same set of OGC (Open GISConsortium) interfaces.
      - Overview of the Java™ API
        The Java™ API library is implemented in a package called com.ibm.spatial.
      - Overview of a Spatial Java™ API Application
        Most spatial Java™ API applications need to perform the steps described in this section.
        Using Logging
        Using the SpatialManager class, you can turn on logging, for example to a file /tmp/spatial.log. You can alternatively send formatted log records to an existing writer object.
        Assigning a Connection to CoordRefManager
        Applications must assign an open database connection to the CoordRef- Manager object. This enables the CoordRefManager object to query the spatial_references table and cache its contents locally. If you forget to do this, a SpatialException with the message Invalid argument: CoordRef=null is usually thrown whenever you try to instantiate a geometry object.
        Querying and Displaying Geometries
        The following code fragment demonstrates how to query geometries and display geometry data.
        Reading Coordinate Data
        Many applications need to read coordinate data from a geometry object. This example uses for loops to read the coordinates of an existing geometry object, to temporarily hold the coordinates in a buffer, and then to pass the coordinates to a drawing function.
      - Preparing to Run a Program
        Before you run a spatial Java™ API program, set your CLASSPATH environment variable and compile the program.
      - Example 1: Retrieving a Point From a Table
        The commented code fragment below shows how to retrieve a Point shape from a database table using a SELECT statement.
      - Examples 2, 3, and 4: How to Use the Java™ API
        These examples are located in the INFORMIXDIR/extend/spatialversion/examples/java directory in the directory where you installed the DataBlade® module. The examples are fully commented to demonstrate how to use the Java™ API.
    - Appendixes
  - Spatiotemporal Search for Moving Objects User's Guide
    The describes how to program applications to search data from moving objects in HCL Informix® databases using the spatiotemporal search extension.
  - TimeSeries Data User's Guide
    The Informix® TimeSeries Data User's Guide contains information to assist you in using the TimeSeries extension with HCL 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.

Overview of a Spatial Java™ API Application

Most spatial Java™ API applications need to perform the steps described in this section.