Overview of Features

The HPL is a feature of the database server that allows you to load and unload large quantities of data efficiently to or from a database. The HPL lets you exchange data with tapes, data files, and programs, and converts data from these sources into a format compatible with Informix databases. The HPL also allows you to manipulate and filter the data as you perform load and unload operations.

The HPL includes the following features:

• The HPL supports COBOL, ASCII, multibyte, delimited, or binary data.
• The HPL can load and unload data of a different GLS locale from that of the database server.
• The client/server architecture of the HPL lets you use ipload utility to manage the onpload database on any database server on your network.
• The ipload utility provides a Generate option that lets you automatically generate the HPL components that are required for a load or unload job.
• The database-load feature lets you update your databases with data from any of the supported file types, while allowing you to control the format and selection of records from the input files. Data can be loaded from or unloaded to files, tapes, or application pipes (for UNIX), or to any combination of these three device types.
• The HPL provides synonym support for tables that are valid for the local database server. You can use synonyms for both the load and unload operations.
• The HPL provides support for unloading data with a query that accesses a view in its SELECT statement.
• The load and unload operations run in the background of your multitasking operating system. Once the operation begins, you can continue to use ipload to perform other functions.
• The ipload utility provides context-sensitive online help. The online help also includes a glossary.
• The onpladm utility is a command-line version of the ipload utility.
• Any database server on your network can use the onpload database, which contains parameters and controls that the HPL uses. This accessibility allows centralized management of your load and unload controls. These parameters and controls include the HPL components such as formats, maps, and projects.
• The HPL supports loading of raw tables in express mode.