The Oninit® Grafana data sources let Grafana® panels and dashboards query IBM® Informix® instances directly through the wire-listener endpoint. Two plugins ship under the same line: oninit-json-datasource takes MongoDB®-style JSON documents, and oninit-wire-datasource takes pure SQL. Both target the same wire-listener address; they differ only in how the operator expresses the query. TimeSeries data is reached through the wire datasource via either of the two interfaces Informix exposes for TS — the function-based TS SQL routines (Calendar, GetRange, Apply, Hits, …) called directly against a TimeSeries column, or the Virtual Table (VT) interface that surfaces the TimeSeries column as a regular relational view. Both are SQL, so both ride the same wire-datasource editor.
The split between the two plugins exists because two distinct operator audiences want very different ergonomics from the same telemetry. Dashboard authors who think in filters / projections / aggregations prefer a declarative JSON document; database operators who already know their schema want SQL with template-variable substitution. Within the SQL plugin, the choice between the VT interface and a direct TS routine call is itself a per-query ergonomic preference — the VT reads as plain relational rows and combines naturally with ordinary tables, the direct routine call is more compact when the TimeSeries column is the whole point of the panel.
Connection is wire-protocol native — both plugins talk to the Informix wire listener over TCP, optionally with TLS, using standard Informix authentication. The plugins carry no embedded schema knowledge; what the operator can query against the wire listener, the relevant plugin can return.
| Component | What it provides |
|---|---|
| oninit-json-datasource | MongoDB-style query editor with collection, filter, projection, sort, and limit fields. Returns one Grafana data frame per query. Coerces $date-tagged values into Grafana time-series timestamps automatically. |
| oninit-wire-datasource | Pure SQL query editor. Issues the SQL verbatim against the wire listener after template-variable interpolation; returns one Grafana data frame per result set. Targets ordinary Informix tables and Informix TimeSeries data via either of the two TS interfaces Informix exposes — direct TS SQL routine calls (Calendar, GetRange, Apply, Hits, Recombine, …) against a TimeSeries column, or the Virtual Table (VT) interface that exposes the TimeSeries column as a relational view. Both are SQL, so the editor sees no TS-specific syntax beyond the function names themselves. |
| Template variables | Both plugins interpolate Grafana template variables ($var, ${var}, [[var]]) before issuing the query, with format selectors for csv / pipe / quoted forms so the substitution lands cleanly in either query language. |
| Time-range awareness | The panel's selected time window is exposed to the query as named macros, so a single query definition works across dashboard time-range changes without rewriting. |
| Signed releases | Both plugins ship signed against https://grafana.oninit.com/; the signed release is the same artefact the Grafana plugin catalog will distribute once the catalog listing lands. |
| Out of scope | Why |
|---|---|
| Not an Informix metrics agent | The plugins query whatever the operator's wire-listener exposes; they do not collect engine telemetry on their own. For engine-internal counters (sessions, locks, log-flush rates) the operator points the listener at the relevant sysmaster view and queries it from a panel via the wire datasource. |
| Not a dashboard pack | The plugins are data-source plugins only — no panel layouts, no pre-built dashboards. Operators build dashboards in Grafana against their own schema. |
| Not a JDBC / ODBC bridge | The wire listener speaks the Informix wire protocol natively; no intermediate driver is in the path. |
| Not a TimeSeries provisioning tool | The wire datasource queries TimeSeries data and applies TS routines; it does not create TimeSeries containers, register calendars, or define new TimeSeries types — those remain DDL-side operations the DBA performs through the usual Informix tooling. |
Oninit® is waiting on Grafana® to resolve some account-side issues at their end before the data sources can appear in the official Grafana plugin catalog. Until that lands, install via direct download — see the Download page for the signed plugin zips. The artefacts are the same ones that will eventually ship through the catalog.
To discuss how Oninit ® can assist please call on +1-913-732-8892 or alternatively just send an email specifying your requirements.
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