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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.
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.
Informix® TimeSeries solution
Database administrators and applications developers use the Informix® TimeSeries solution to store and analyze time series data.
Getting started with the Informix® TimeSeries solution
Before you can create a time series, decide on the properties of the time series and where to store the time series data. After you create a time series, you load the data and query the data.
Planning for accessing time series data
You use SQL routines, Java™ classes and methods, and C API routines to access and manipulate time series data directly. You can also transform time series data into virtual tables that you can query with standard SQL statements. You can create a data mart for time series data to query on other dimensions than time.

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.
  - 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.
    - Informix® TimeSeries solution
      Database administrators and applications developers use the Informix® TimeSeries solution to store and analyze time series data.
      - Informix® TimeSeries solution architecture
        The Informix® TimeSeries solution consists of built-in data types and routines. You can use other Informix tools to administer and load time series data.
      - Time series concepts
        A time series as implemented by the Informix® TimeSeries solution contains information about how the data is stored in the table column and information about valid data intervals and where the data is stored on disk.
      - Getting started with the Informix® TimeSeries solution
        Before you can create a time series, decide on the properties of the time series and where to store the time series data. After you create a time series, you load the data and query the data.
        Planning for creating a time series
        When you create a time series, you define a set of properties.
        Planning for data storage
        Time series data is stored in containers within dbspaces. You can use the default containers that are created in the same dbspace as the table into which you are loading data or you can create containers in separate dbspaces. You can estimate how much storage space you need. Rolling window containers have specific storage requirements.
        Planning for loading time series data
        When you plan to load time series data, you must choose the loading method and where to store the data on disk.
        Planning for replication of time series data
        You can replicate time series data with high-availability clusters and Enterprise Replication. Review the restrictions and requirements before you set up replication.
        Planning for accessing time series data
        You use SQL routines, Java™ classes and methods, and C API routines to access and manipulate time series data directly. You can also transform time series data into virtual tables that you can query with standard SQL statements. You can create a data mart for time series data to query on other dimensions than time.
      - Hardware and software requirements for the TimeSeries solution
        Before you create a time series, ensure that you have the required hardware and software, a supported operating system, and that you understand the restrictions for SQL statements and data replication.
      - Sample smart meter data
        If you want to practice querying time series data before you define and load your time series, you can use the sample data in the stores_demo database.
      - Setting up stock data examples
        Set up the stock data examples. Use the sample queries and sample programs to practice handling time series data.
    - Data types and system tables
      Specialized data types and system tables handle time series data.
    - Create and manage a time series through SQL
      Before you can load time series data into the database, you must configure database objects specific to your time series. You can manage data storage and remove data as necessary. You can run SQL statements to create and manage time series.
    - Virtual tables for time series data
      A virtual table provides a relational view of your time series data.
    - Pattern matching searches
      You can search time series data for matches to a particular pattern of values. For example, after you identify a pattern of abnormal electricity usage that indicates an outage, you can search for matches to that pattern to find other outages. Pattern matching searches find matches to a pattern that you supply. Pattern matching searches do not discover patterns in time series data.
    - Advanced analytics
      Advanced analytics functions provide specialized methods of analyzing time series data for patterns or abnormalities.
    - Calendar pattern routines
      You can use calendar pattern routines to manipulate calendar patterns.
    - Calendar routines
      You can use calendar routines to manipulate calendars.
    - Time series SQL routines
    - Time series Java™ class library
      You can use the time series Java™ class library to create and manage a time series from within Java applications or applets.
    - Time series API routines
      The time series application programming interface routines allow application programmers to directly access a time series datum.
    - Appendixes
  - 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.

Planning for accessing time series data

You use SQL routines, Java™ classes and methods, and C API routines to access and manipulate time series data directly. You can also transform time series data into virtual tables that you can query with standard SQL statements. You can create a data mart for time series data to query on other dimensions than time.

Call routines from within SQL statements or from within Java™ or C applications on either the client or the server computer.

Use TimeSeries SQL routines, Java™ classes and methods and API routines, and API routines that are written in C to perform the following types of operations to access or manipulate time series data:

Manipulate individual elements or sets of elements
Perform statistical and arithmetic calculations
Aggregate data
Convert between time stamps and offsets
Extract values for a time interval
Find or delete null elements
Remove older data by deleting a range of elements

Create virtual tables to view and query time series data by using standard SQL statements. You can display the results of TimeSeries SQL functions on time series data in virtual tables.

If you want to query time series data on dimensions other than time, such as customer or location, or run analytic functions, you can create data marts with Informix® Warehouse Accelerator. Informix® Warehouse Accelerator can efficiently run queries on the typically large amounts of time series data. You can control the time range of time series values that you load into the accelerator.

You can output time series data in XML format to display in applications.