Welcome
SQL programming
You can use the HCL Informix® implementation of the SQL language to develop applications for Informix database servers.
Guide to SQL: Reference
The HCL® 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.
Environment variables
Various environment variables affect the functionality of your HCL Informix® products. You can set environment variables that identify your terminal, specify the location of your software and define other parameters.
Using environment variables on UNIX™
You can set, unset, modify, and view environment variables. If you already use any HCL Informix® products, some or all of the appropriate environment variables might be set.
Viewing your environment-variable settings

HCL Informix® V15.0.0 documentation
Welcome to the documentation for HCL Informix® 15.0.0 and related client tools and products.
Product overview
HCL Informix® is a fast and scalable database server that manages traditional relational, object-relational, and dimensional databases. Its small footprint and self-managing capabilities are suited to embedded data-management solutions.
Installing
These topics describe how to install HCL Informix® database servers, client products, and modules.
Administering
In addition to administering the database server, you can tune performance, replicate data, and archive data.
Migrating and upgrading
You can upgrade to the 15.0.0 release of HCL Informix® or migrate from other database servers to Informix. Upgrading is an in-place migration method that uses your existing hardware and operating system software. Some changes to the Informix database server can affect upgrading from a previous release.
Client APIs and tools
You can use the HCL Informix® implementation of client APIs to develop applications for Informix database servers.
Embedding Informix®
When you embed HCL Informix®, you can use enterprise-class high-availability and high performance with embeddability features such as easy programmability, a small disk and memory footprint, and silent deployment.
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 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.
Data warehousing
In addition to designing and implementing Informix® dimensional databases, you can use tools to create data warehouse applications and optimize your data warehouse queries.
Designing databases
The first step in creating a relational database is to construct a data model, which is a precise, complete definition of the data you want to store. After you prepare your data model, you must implement it as a database and tables. To implement your data model, you first select a data type for each column and then you create a database and tables and populate the tables with data. You can also implement fragmentation strategies and control access to your data.
JSON compatibility
You can use the popular JSON-oriented query language created by MongoDB to interact with data stored in HCL Informix®.
Security
You can secure your Informix® database server and the data that is stored in your Informix databases. You can encrypt data, secure connections, control user privileges and access, and audit data security.
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 HCL® 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.
- Guide to SQL: Reference
  The HCL® 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.
  - System catalog tables
    The system catalog consists of tables and views that describe the structure of the database. Sometimes called the data dictionary, these table objects contain everything that the database knows about itself. Each system catalog table contains information about specific elements in the database. Each database has its own system catalog.
  - Data types
    Every column in a table in a database is assigned a data type. The data type precisely defines the kinds of values that you can store in that column.
  - Environment variables
    Various environment variables affect the functionality of your HCL Informix® products. You can set environment variables that identify your terminal, specify the location of your software and define other parameters.
    - Types of environment variables
    - Limitations on environment variables
    - Using environment variables on UNIX™
      You can set, unset, modify, and view environment variables. If you already use any HCL Informix® products, some or all of the appropriate environment variables might be set.
    - Using environment variables on Windows™
    - Environment variables in Informix® products
      The topics that follow discuss (in alphabetic order) environment variables that HCL Informix® database server products and their utilities use.
  - Appendixes
- Guide to SQL: Tutorial
  The HCL® 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.
Troubleshooting HCL Informix®
Several troubleshooting techniques, tools, and resources are available for resolving problems that you encounter in your HCL Informix® database server environment.

Viewing your environment-variable settings

About this task

After you install one or more HCL Informix® products, enter the following command at the system prompt to view your current environment settings.


UNIX™ version	Command
BSD UNIX™	env
UNIX™ System V	printenv