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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®.
Creating extensionsYou 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® Developers KitThe 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.
DataBlade® Module Development OverviewThe HCL Informix® DataBlade® module overview serves as an overview of the HCL Informix® DataBlade® module development process.
DataBlade® module concepts
What are DataBlade® modules?A DataBlade module is a software package that extends the functionality of HCL Informix®.
Why extend your Informix® database server?The primary advantages of using the extensibility of HCL Informix® over using traditional relational databases and applications are better performance, simpler applications, transaction control, and scalability.
Simpler applications

Simpler applications

Using DataBlade® modules simplifies applications in the following ways:

DataBlade modules handle code for manipulating and storing data so the application does not have to.
DataBlade module routines and data types can be accessed by using SQL.
SQL is a standard language and does not require complex application code or programming languages.
DataBlade modules are easy to upgrade
When you change a DataBlade module, you do not need to relink existing applications; all changes are handled within the database server.
All data is stored and processed in the same database server.
For example, with a geospatial DataBlade module, geographic coordinates are analyzed and processed by the database server instead of in a complex application. In addition, the geospatial data is easily integrated with other types of data in a relational database.
DataBlade modules are easy to combine.
You can combine DataBlade modules that handle different kinds of data in the same database. You can then create one application to integrate all the data.
For example, if a broadcast news company wanted to integrate video, images, audio, and text data for its programs, it could store all the data in one database and use a DataBlade module for each type of data.

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