Welcome
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.
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.
DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide
These topics describe information about the DataBlade® API, the C-language application programming interface (API) provided with HCL Informix®.
DataBlade® API overview
The DataBlade® API
The HCL Informix® DataBlade® API is the application programming interface (API) for HCL Informix. You can use DataBlade API functions in DataBlade modules to access data stored in the Informix database.
DataBlade® API components
The DataBlade® API contains the header files, public data type structures, and pubic functions for the development of DataBlade API modules.
Header files
Informix® GLS header file
A header file is provided to support the HCL® Informix® GLS library. If you use the Informix GLS library in your DataBlade® API module, include its header file, ifxgls.h, in your source code.

HCL Informix® V15.0 documentation
Welcome to the documentation for HCL Informix® 15.0 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 DataBlade® 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 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 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.
- 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.
  - DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide
    These topics describe information about the DataBlade® API, the C-language application programming interface (API) provided with HCL Informix®.
    - DataBlade® API overview
      - The DataBlade® API
        The HCL Informix® DataBlade® API is the application programming interface (API) for HCL Informix. You can use DataBlade API functions in DataBlade modules to access data stored in the Informix database.
        The DataBlade® API module
        A DataBlade® API module is a C-language module that uses the functions of the DataBlade API to communicate with HCL Informix®.
        DataBlade® API components
        The DataBlade® API contains the header files, public data type structures, and pubic functions for the development of DataBlade API modules.
        Header files
        DataBlade® API header files
        The DataBlade® API header files begin with the mi prefix. The DataBlade API provides public header files for use in DataBlade API modules.
        ESQL/C header files
        Header files are provided to support some of the functions and data types of the IBM® Informix® ESQL/C library.
        Informix® GLS header file
        A header file is provided to support the HCL® Informix® GLS library. If you use the Informix GLS library in your DataBlade® API module, include its header file, ifxgls.h, in your source code.
        Private header files
        If you define any opaque data types, you must include their header file in your DataBlade® API source code. An opaque-type header file usually contains the declaration of the internal format for the opaque data type.
        Public data types
        Regular public functions
        The DataBlade® API provides support for the functions in a DataBlade API module.
        Advanced features (Server)
        The DataBlade® API provides a set of advanced features to handle specialized needs of a UDR or DataBlade module that the regular public features cannot handle.
        Internationalization of DataBlade® API modules (GLS)
        For your DataBlade® API module to work in any HCL Informix® locale, you must implement your DataBlade API module so that it is internationalized. That is, the module must not make any assumptions about the locale in which it will execute.
      - Access SQL data types
        This section provides an overview of the data types that the DataBlade® API supports.
    - Data manipulation
    - Database access
    - Create user-defined routines
    - Appendix
      This section contains additional reference information.
  - DataBlade® API Function Reference
    These topics describe the DataBlade® API functions and the subset of IBM® Informix® ESQL/C functions that the DataBlade API supports.
  - DataBlade® Developers Kit
    The DataBlade® Developers Kit (DBDK) guides contain information about the tools you can use to develop and package DataBlade modules, which extend the functionality of HCL Informix® databases.
  - J/Foundation Developer's Guide
    These topics describe how to write user-defined routines (UDRs) in the Java™ programming language for Informix®.
  - R-Tree Index User's Guide
    These topics describe the HCL Informix® R-tree secondary access method and how to access and use its components.
  - User-Defined Routines and Data Types Developer's Guide
    These topics describe how to define new data types and enable user-defined routines (UDRs) to extend HCL Informix®.
  - Virtual-Table Interface Guide
    These topics explain how to create a primary access method with the Virtual-Table Interface (VTI) so that users have a single SQL interface to HCL Informix® tables and to data that does not conform to the storage scheme of HCL Informix.
  - Virtual-Index Interface Guide
    These topics explain how to create a secondary access method with the Virtual-Index Interface (VII) to extend the built-in indexing schemes of HCL Informix® typically with a DataBlade® module.
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.
Troubleshooting HCL Informix®
Several troubleshooting techniques, tools, and resources are available for resolving problems that you encounter in your HCL Informix® database server environment.

Informix® GLS header file

A header file is provided to support the HCL® Informix® GLS library. If you use the Informix® GLS library in your DataBlade® API module, include its header file, ifxgls.h, in your source code.