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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.
Virtual-Table Interface GuideThe Informix® Virtual-Table Interface Programmer's Guide explains 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®.
Access methodsThis section describes access methods, explains why you create user-defined access methods, and shows you how to create user-defined access methods
User-defined access methodsYou can create user-defined primary access methods that provide SQL access to non-relational and other data that does not conform to built-in access methods. For example, a user-defined access method might retrieve data from an external location or manipulate specific data within a smart large object.
Access to storage spacesYou can define a method for accessing some types of storage spaces.

Access to storage spaces

You can define a method for accessing some types of storage spaces.

The types of storage spaces for which you can define an access method are:

A smart large object, which reside in an sbspace
The database server can log, back up, and recover smart large objects.
An external table, which resides in an extspace
An extspace refers to a storage location that the HCL Informix® database server does not manage. For example, an extspace might call a path and file name that the operating system manages or another database that a different database manager controls.
The database server does not provide transaction, backup, or recovery services for data that resides in an extspace.

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