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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.
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.
Getting started with spatiotemporal search for moving objects
You use spatiotemporal searches to track moving objects. You create a spatiotemporal search index on the time-stamped GPS data that is stored in a historian database as time series.
Spatiotemporal search indexing
Before you start indexing spatiotemporal data, you must decide how to configure the data and where to store the spatiotemporal tables and indexes.
Starting spatiotemporal indexing
You start spatiotemporal indexing by running the STS_SubtrackCreate function for the time series column.

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.
  - 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.
    - What's new in Spatiotemporal searching for Informix®, Version 14.10
      This publication includes information about new features and changes in existing functions.
    - Getting started with spatiotemporal search for moving objects
      You use spatiotemporal searches to track moving objects. You create a spatiotemporal search index on the time-stamped GPS data that is stored in a historian database as time series.
      - Spatiotemporal Search solution architecture
        The Informix® Spatiotemporal Search solution consists of built-in functions.
      - Requirements for the Spatiotemporal Search extension
        The Informix® Spatiotemporal Search extension requires the Informix TimeSeries extension, the Informix Spatial extension, and the R-tree index extension. The time series that you create for spatiotemporal search must conform to certain requirements.
      - Spatiotemporal search indexing
        Before you start indexing spatiotemporal data, you must decide how to configure the data and where to store the spatiotemporal tables and indexes.
        Spatiotemporal index parameters
        Starting spatiotemporal indexing
        You start spatiotemporal indexing by running the STS_SubtrackCreate function for the time series column.
        Updating spatiotemporal indexes
        You can update spatiotemporal search indexes manually or automatically and choose how much of the index to build.
        Stopping spatiotemporal search indexing
        When you stop spatiotemporal search indexing, you remove the subtrack table, the Scheduler task, and the associated indexes.
      - Example for spatiotemporal searching
        In this example, you create and load a time series that contains location data. You start spatiotemporal indexing and then run spatiotemporal searches.
      - Spatiotemporal searches
        You run spatiotemporal search functions within SQL statements to find information about moving objects. Trajectories, positions, and regions are represented with spatial data types.
    - Spatiotemporal search tables
      The spatiotemporal search tables contain spatiotemporal data and information about spatiotemporal search indexes.
    - Spatiotemporal search routines
  - 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.
  - Web DataBlade Module
    Use the Web DataBlade® module to create web applications that incorporate data that is retrieved dynamically from the HCL Informix® database.
- 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.

Starting spatiotemporal indexing

You start spatiotemporal indexing by running the STS_SubtrackCreate function for the time series column.

Before you begin

The TimeSeries, Spatial, and R-tree index extensions must be registered in the database.

A time series table must exist.

Procedure

To start spatiotemporal indexing:

Prepare storage spaces for your spatiotemporal data.
Optional: If you are using multiple CPU virtual processors, set the PRELOAD_DLL_FILE configuration parameter to the path for the spatiotemporal shared library file in the onconfig file and then restart the database server:
```
PRELOAD_DLL_FILE $INFORMIXDIR/extend/sts.version/sts.bld 
```
The version is the version number of the spatiotemporal search extension.
Optional: Set default parameters for configuring spatiotemporal data and storage by running the STS_SetDefaultParameters function.
Run the STS_SubtrackCreate function for the time series.
A subtrack table and spatiotemporal search system tables are created. If you configured Scheduler tasks, the subtrack table is populated and indexed.
If you did not configure a Scheduler task with the STS_SubtrackCreate function, run the STS_SubtrackBuild function to populate the subtrack table and index the initial set of data.