Object-Oriented concepts in Informix
A poster asked whether Informix supports object-oriented concepts and qualifies as an object-relational DBMS. Replies confirmed yes: the 9.x line (IDS.2000) is object-relational, descended from Illustra, with user-defined types, DataBlades, server-side C/Java extensions and SQL-J (Java classes as column types). Pointers were given to informix.com/idn, examples.informix.com, and books by Stonebraker/Brown, Jacques Roy and Paul Brown, plus C.J. Date material. A follow-up on cross-database portability drew the answer that extensions like text, spatial and time-series are vendor-specific and hard to port; writing extensions in Java per SQL-J, and using JDBC 2.0 (or ODBC/ESQL-C) on the client, is the most portable route.
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I am attempting to research the use of object-oriented concepts within the Informix database management system. Does Informix have object-oriented concepts? Is Informix an object-relational database management system? Kevin
Versions 9.x are object-relational. Kevin B wrote: > I am attempting to research the use of object-oriented concepts within the > Informix database management system. Does Informix have object-oriented > concepts? Is Informix an object-relational database management system? > > Kevin
Informix was the first ORDBMS (or Illustra, which Informix bought) For more info look at http://www.informix.com/idn-secure/DataBlade/WebPages/toc.htm Kevin B wrote: > > I am attempting to research the use of object-oriented concepts within the > Informix database management system. Does Informix have object-oriented > concepts? Is Informix an object-relational database management system? > > Kevin -- Karl Johan Grøttum tel:(+47) 776 29 406 Norut Information Technology Ltd. fax:(+47) 776 29 401 9291 Tromsø URL: http://www.itek.norut.no/~karl Norway E-mail: Karl.Johan.Grottum@itek.norut.no
At a more general level - look at some of C.J. Date's work in this area - you could start with http://www.firstsql.com/dbdebunk/ "Madison Pruet" <mpruet@home.com> wrote in message news:39F3B468.8AEC41A2@home.com... > Versions 9.x are object-relational. > > Kevin B wrote: > > > I am attempting to research the use of object-oriented concepts within the > > Informix database management system. Does Informix have object-oriented > > concepts? Is Informix an object-relational database management system? > > > > Kevin >
Kevin B wrote: > I am attempting to research the use of object-oriented concepts within the > Informix database management system. Good for you! > Does Informix have object-oriented > concepts? Yes. > Is Informix an object-relational database management system? > Yes. In fact, it is the original ORDBMS, and currently posesses the most complete set of OR features of any commercial DBMS product. Stonebraker, M. and Brown, P. Object-Relational DBMS: Tracking the Next Great Wave Second Edition. Morgan Kaufman, California. 1998. Roy, Jacques. Server-Side Programming in 'C': INFORMIX Dynamic Server 2000 Prentice Hall, New Jersey. 1999. Brown, Paul. Developing Object-Relational Databases Prentice Hall, New Jersey. 2000. You will also find a mess-o implementation stuff at: http://www.informix.com/idn http://examples.informix.com/ If you're interested in the purest OO stuff, have a look at the IDS.2000 support for the SQL-J standard, which allows you to pop a Java class into a database table's column, and to call its methods using SQL. Hope this lot helps KR Pb
Paul, While Informix is our main database server, one of our requirements, besides OO, is to be database independent or more precisely, cross-platform. What do people do in this regard ? ODBC, DPI ? Thanks, Thanh PS. Paul, I will buy your book as well as attending your tutorial. In article <39F43F84.476C399A@_TO_informix_SPAM_.com>, "Paul G. Brown" <paul_SAY_brown_NO_@_TO_informix_SPAM_.com> wrote: > > > Kevin B wrote: > > > I am attempting to research the use of object-oriented concepts within the > > Informix database management system. > > Good for you! > > > Does Informix have object-oriented > > concepts? > > Yes. > > > Is Informix an object-relational database management system? > > > > Yes. > > In fact, it is the original ORDBMS, and currently posesses the most > complete set of OR features of any commercial DBMS product. > > Stonebraker, M. and Brown, P. Object-Relational DBMS: Tracking the Next > Great Wave Second Edition. Morgan Kaufman, California. 1998. > > Roy, Jacques. Server-Side Programming in 'C': INFORMIX Dynamic Server 2000 > Prentice Hall, New Jersey. 1999. > > Brown, Paul. Developing Object-Relational Databases Prentice Hall, New > Jersey. 2000. > > You will also find a mess-o implementation stuff at: > > http://www.informix.com/idn > > http://examples.informix.com/ > > If you're interested in the purest OO stuff, have a look at the IDS.2000 > support for the SQL-J standard, which allows you to pop a Java class into a > database table's column, and to call its methods using SQL. > > Hope this lot helps > > KR > > Pb > > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.
Thanh wrote: > While Informix is our main database server, one of our requirements, > besides OO, is to be database independent or more precisely, > cross-platform. Depending on what you're up to, this is going to be tougher than you think. If you're plans are to take advantage of something like text indexing, or spatial, or time-series, then you're in a pickle. The way IDS.2K handles time-series data and performs time-series analytics is the consequence of the way IDS.2K lets folk jam 'C' code into the query processor. There is no standard for time-series types and structures. Similarly, the way ESRI & MapInfo handles spatial stuff in the engine is quite a bit different from how O (for example) does it. Geo technical details like map projection and ellipsoid etc are built into the query framework, rather than requiring a middle-ware piece to handle it all. If you're planning to write your own extensions then I would suggest you use Java and follow the SQL-J standard. That *should* work equally on everyone's platforms (I say should!). That said, if you believe their hype it should be relatively easy to port most of the stuff written in 'C' against IFMX and port it to IBM's UDB. You're going to have more trouble with O and MSFT in that regard. > What do people do in this regard ? ODBC, DPI ? It depends on the client language: Java - JDBC 2.0 does a really nice job of handling it. (A really, really nice job: done right, it can look as though what you're doing is writing queries over Java objects). C/C++ - ODBC and ESQL/C are both OK. > PS. Paul, I will buy your book as well as attending your tutorial. So *you're* the one! Book's out in December. Try Jacque's: his stuff is 'C' focussed, but really good. And if you're worried about compatability, compare the DataBlade developers guide to the IBM UDB pages, and then have a look at Oracle's stuff. (Google knows!) KR Pb
Check out Dr. Stonebraker's book: "Object- Relational DBMSs: Tracking the Next Great Wave" http://www1.fatbrain.com/asp/bookinfo/bookinfo.asp ?theisbn=1558604529 Sounia ____________ Sounia Nejad Chaney ChainLink Networking Solutions Developing Web-enabled Mission Critical Business Applications (703)430-5752 http://www.chainlink.com In article <39F3E9C4.A488503C@itek.norut.no>, Karl Johan =?iso-8859-1?Q?Gr=F8ttum?= <Karl.Johan.Grottum@itek.norut.no> wrote: > Informix was the first ORDBMS (or Illustra, which Informix bought) > > For more info look at > http://www.informix.com/idn- secure/DataBlade/WebPages/toc.htm > > Kevin B wrote: > > > > I am attempting to research the use of object- oriented concepts within the > > Informix database management system. Does Informix have object-oriented > > concepts? Is Informix an object-relational database management system? > > > > Kevin > > -- > Karl Johan Gr'ttum tel:(+47) 776 29 406 > Norut Information Technology Ltd. fax:(+47) 776 29 401 > 9291 Troms' URL: http://www.itek.norut.no/~karl > Norway E-mail: Karl.Johan.Grottum@itek.norut.no > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.