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SQL programming
You can use the HCL Informix® implementation of the SQL language to develop applications for Informix database servers.
Guide to SQL: Syntax
The Informix® Guide to SQL: Syntax describes the syntax of the statements, data types, expressions, operators, and built-in functions of the Informix dialect of the SQL language.
Built-In Routines
The EXPLAIN_SQL Routine
The Data Studio Administration Edition can use the EXPLAIN_SQL routine to obtain a query plan in XML format, interpret the XML, and render the plan visually.

SQL programming
You can use the HCL Informix® implementation of the SQL language to develop applications for Informix database servers.
- Guide to SQL: Syntax
  The Informix® Guide to SQL: Syntax describes the syntax of the statements, data types, expressions, operators, and built-in functions of the Informix dialect of the SQL language.
  - Overview of SQL syntax
    These topics provide an overview about how to use the SQL statements, SPL statements, and syntax segments.
  - SQL statements
    This chapter describes the syntax and semantics of SQL statements that are recognized by Informix®.
  - SPL statements
    These topics describe Stored Procedure Language (SPL) statements, which you use to write SPL routines. You can store these routines in the database as user-defined routines (UDRs).
  - Data types and expressions
    These topics describe the data types and expressions that Informix®supports.
  - Other syntax segments
    These topics describe syntax segments, which are language elements, such as database object names or optimizer directives, that appear as a subdiagram reference in the syntax diagrams of some SQL or SPL statements.
  - Built-In Routines
    - Interval functions
      Use the interval functions to return an INTERVAL value from arguments that include a number and a character-string representing time units and separators in INTERVAL qualifiers. These functions are useful in CREATE TABLE, CREATE INDEX, and ALTER FRAGMENT statements that define or modify range-interval distributed storage strategies for indexes and tables.
    - Session Configuration Procedures
    - BSON processing functions
      BSON processing functions manipulate BSON data. Some SQL statements require function expressions that call these built-in functions.
    - DataBlade® Module Management Functions
      From sessions connected to Informix® databases that support explicit transaction logging, you can register or unregister DataBlade® modules by issuing SQL statements that call the built-in SYSBldPrepare( ) function. Another built-in function, SYSBldRelease( ), returns the version string of the SYSBldPrepare( ) function in the local database.
    - The EXPLAIN_SQL Routine
      The Data Studio Administration Edition can use the EXPLAIN_SQL routine to obtain a query plan in XML format, interpret the XML, and render the plan visually.
    - UDR Definition Routines
    - jvpcontrol Function
    - SQLJ Driver Built-In Procedures
    - Extended Utilities
  - Appendixes
- Guide to SQL: Reference
  The Informix® Guide to SQL: Reference contains the reference information for the system catalog tables, data types, and environment variables of the HCL Informix dialect of the SQL language, as implemented in HCL Informix. These topics also include information about the stores_demo, sales_demo, and superstore_demo databases that are included with HCL Informix.
- Guide to SQL: Tutorial
  The Informix® Guide to SQL: Tutorial shows how to use basic and advanced structured query language (SQL) to access and manipulate the data in your databases. It discusses the data manipulation language (DML) statements as well as triggers and stored procedure language (SPL) routines, which DML statements often use.

The EXPLAIN_SQL Routine

The Data Studio Administration Edition can use the EXPLAIN_SQL routine to obtain a query plan in XML format, interpret the XML, and render the plan visually.

Data Studio consists of a set of tools to use for administration, data modeling, and building queries from data that comes from data servers. The EXPLAIN_SQL routine prepares a query and returns a query plan in XML.

If you plan to use Data Studio to obtain Visual Explain output, you must create and specify a default sbspace name for the SBSPACENAME configuration parameter in your ONCONFIG file. The EXPLAIN_SQL routine creates BLOB objects in this sbspace.

For information on using Data Studio, see the Data Studio documentation.