In This Chapter

This chapter provides a detailed discussion of the R-tree secondary access method and an in-depth discussion about how R-tree indexes work. It includes the following topics:

• About Access Methods
• The R-Tree Secondary Access Method
• About Operator Classes
• R-Tree Functionality That IBM Provides
• IBM Informix DataBlade Modules That Use the R-Tree Access Method

DataBlade module developers can use the DataBlade Developer's Kit to develop the objects that form the DataBlade module that uses the R-tree access method. The DataBlade Developer's Kit automatically generates most of the SQL commands and some of the C code needed to create the objects. For purposes of clarity, however, this guide gives examples of the SQL commands and C code so that the process of creating the objects is easier to understand.

This guide uses the Shapes3 sample DataBlade module, described in Appendix A. Shapes3 Sample DataBlade Module, to illustrate how to use the R-tree access method and how to create DataBlade modules that implement the R-tree access method.