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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.
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.
Load data into a time series
You can use several methods to load data into the time series. Some methods require you to create the time series instance before you load data.
Load data with the BulkLoad function
You can load data into an existing time series with the BulkLoad function. This SQL function takes an existing time series and a file name as arguments. The file name is for a file on the client that contains row type data to be loaded into the time series.
Data file formats for BulkLoad

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.
    - 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.
      - Example for regular data: Create and load a regular time series
        This example shows how to create a TimeSeries data type, create a time series table, create a regular time series by running the TSCreate function, and load data into the time series through the Informix® TimeSeries Plug-in for Data Studio.
      - Example for hertz data: Create and load a hertz time series
        This example shows how to create, load, and query a time series that stores hertz data.
      - Example for compressible data: Create and load a compressed time series
        This example shows how to create, load, and query a time series that stores compressed numeric data.
      - Example for JSON data: Create and load a time series with JSON documents
        These examples show how to create, load, and query a time series that stores JSON data.
      - Defining a calendar
        A time series definition must include a calendar. A calendar includes a calendar pattern, which can be defined separately or within the calendar definition.You can create a calendar or choose a predefined calendar.
      - Create a time series column
      - Creating containers
        Containers are created automatically when they are needed, in the same dbspaces in which the table is stored. If you want to store your time series data in other dbspaces, you can create containers. You can move containers between container pools. You must create containers if you want to replicate time series data with Enterprise Replication or create rolling window containers.
      - Create a time series
        You can use several methods to create an instance of a time series, depending on whether there is existing data to load and, if so, the format of that data.
      - Load data into a time series
        You can use several methods to load data into the time series. Some methods require you to create the time series instance before you load data.
        Informix® TimeSeries Plug-in for Data Studio
        You can load time-based data into existing time series instances by creating load jobs in the Informix® TimeSeries Plug-in for Data Studio.
        Writing a loader program
        You can write a program to load time series data by using time series SQL routines.
        Methods for loading JSON data
        The method that you use to loading JSON data depends on whether your data is entirely in JSON documents and the source of the data.
        Loading data from a file into a virtual table
        Data that you insert into a virtual table is written to the underlying base table. Therefore, you can use the virtual table to load your data that is in a relational format in a file into a TimeSeries column. Often it is easier to format your raw data to load a virtual table than to load a TimeSeries column directly, especially if you must perform incremental loading.
        Load data with the BulkLoad function
        You can load data into an existing time series with the BulkLoad function. This SQL function takes an existing time series and a file name as arguments. The file name is for a file on the client that contains row type data to be loaded into the time series.
        Data file formats for BulkLoad
        Example: Load data with BulkLoad
        Load small amounts of data with SQL functions
        You can load individual elements or sets of elements by using time series SQL functions.
      - Performance tips for time series
        You can improve the performance of loading and querying time series data with the following guidelines.
      - Delete time series data
        You can delete time series data to remove incorrect data or to remove old data.
      - Manage packed data
        You can insert, delete, and select packed data.
    - 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.

Data file formats for BulkLoad

Two data formats are supported for the file loaded by BulkLoad:

Using type constructors
Using tabs

Each line of the client file must have all the data for one element.

The type constructor format follows the row type convention: comma-separated columns surrounded by parentheses and preceded by the ROW type constructor. The first two lines of a typical file look like this:

row(2011-01-03 00:00:00.00000, 1.1, 2.2)
row(2011-01-04 00:00:00.00000, 10.1, 20.2)

If you include collections in a column within the row data type, use a type constructor (SET, MULTISET, or LIST) and curly braces surrounding the collection values. A row including a set of rows has this format:

row(timestamp, set{row(value, value), row(value, value)}, value)

The tab format separates the values by tabs. It is only recommended for single-level rows that do not contain collections or row data types. The first two lines of a typical file in this format look like this:

2011-01-03 00:00:00.00000   1.1     2.2
2011-01-04 00:00:00.00000   10.1    20.2

The spaces between entries represent a tab.

In both formats, NULL indicates a null entry.

The first file format is also produced when you use the onload utility. This utility copies the contents of a table into a client file or a client file into a table. When copying a file into a table, the time series is created and then the data is written into the new time series. See the Informix® Performance Guide for more information about onload.