Highlights: InformixHQ Usability Improvements in 3.2.0 & coming soon in 3.3.0
Welcome to the International Informix Users Group (IIUG) Insider! Designed for IIUG members and Informix user group leaders, this publication contains timely and relevant information for the Informix community.
Table of Contents
Editorial
WOW! Hard to believe it is already July!
We have 3 IIUG Tech Talks scheduled for July, August and September. See below for more information and register. If you have topics that you would like presented, please contact us and we will work to find someone who would present it, or if you have something you would like to present as one of our Tech Talks, we can help you with your presentation. Don’t forget to check out our YouTube Channel for past Tech Talks, Informix Tech Talks by the IIUG.
There is an event coming up for our Asia-Pacific members. This event is held by Actian and DB Solve on Monday July 13th, at the Khilton Kuala Lumpurt /Malaysia. Please see below additional information.
The IBM TechXchange session catalog is almost ready; we will provide a list all the Informix sessions selected as soon as we know. TechXchange is October 26-29, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Finally, we are always looking for content for the Insider. If you have something you would like to share: “how to”, upcoming events, etc., we would like to hear from you.
Wishing you well!
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Insider Co-Editor
IIUG Board of Directors
rhonda@iiug.org
Highlights
InformixHQ Usability Improvements in 3.2.0 & coming soon in 3.3.0
We are excited to share new usability improvements in InformixHQ 3.2.0 & 3.3.0, designed to help DBAs observe, diagnose, and respond to operational issues faster. These updates include:
3.2.0 Improvements
Agent repository database space insufficiency warning: Users will be now warned if the Agent repository database has shortage of space. The following warning will be issued with a provision to create additional space:
The Agent repository database space is full. This means the agent will not be able to store
sensor data, resulting in data loss. Please add a new chunk or expand the database space.
Performance monitoring of hot tables & indexes: InformixHQ now provides a structured and interactive view of the most active (hot) tables and indexes within a database instance. This feature simplifies performance monitoring by presenting key I/O, locking, and scan metrics, allowing users to quickly identify and diagnose performance bottlenecks.
New Alerting Capability for Server Blocked States: InformixHQ introduces an enhancement in its alerting system to monitor the current state of the Informix server. When the server transitions into any predefined blocked state, InformixHQ will create an incident on the basis of alert (if created), helping administrators take timely corrective actions.
Swagger API (Phase 1): Swagger API is a fully documented, interactive API using Swagger UI to make integration of InformixHQ server APIs in your custom application easier.
3.3.0 Improvements
Swagger/OpenAPI Exposure (Phase 2): APIs related to Monitoring & Alerting, Permissions, Incidents, and onconfig (configuration). New guide shows how to access and use InformixHQ REST APIs via Swagger UI to integrate InformixHQ server APIs in your custom application. It covers authentication, trying endpoints, and common workflows (config, users, servers, agent configuration, etc).
Multitenancy In InformixHQ: Phase I – Introducing a user-friendly interface for managing Informix multitenancy. This feature will focus on providing core multitenancy management functionality within InformixHQ.
Multi-tenant Monitoring: InformixHQ Operating System Disk Utilization sensor now supports raw disk monitoring.
InformixHQ Operating System Disk Utilization sensor monitored operating system disk usage for the cooked storage devices used by the Informix database server. With the extended support for raw devices, when a raw chunk path is detected under /dev, the sensor calculates total, used, and free bytes for the raw device. This allows storage metrics to accurately reflect logical raw chunk usage by the database server.
Backup Age per dbspace: The Backup Age per dbspace sensor monitors the age of the most recent Level 0 backup for all dbspaces. This would mainly be used for threshold-based alerting when a Level 0 backup is overdue. For example, you can configure alerts when a Level 0 backup has not occurred within 12 hours or 24 hours.
Creating unencrypted spaces using InformixHQ: InformixHQ now allows users to create unencrypted spaces even when DISK_ENCRYPTION is enabled.
On the “Create Space” page, a new checkbox is available: “Disk encryption is enabled by default. Uncheck to create an unencrypted dbspace.” This checkbox is visible whenever the DISK_ENCRYPTION parameter is configured in the onconfig file. To create an unencrypted space, you should uncheck this option. You can verify the encryption status in the “Spaces” table under the “Encryption” column; unencrypted spaces are marked with a cross icon.
Together, these enhancements make InformixHQ easier to use, easier to integrate, and more effective for day-to-day monitoring and troubleshooting. DBAs and data engineering teams can reduce time spent on diagnostics, improve visibility into performance issues, and manage Informix environments with greater efficiency.
Karen Qualley
HCL
Conference Corner
IBM TechXchange Conference 2026
October 26 – 29, 2026
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
NOTE: You will be taken to the IBM sign in page to register and submit your session for this event. You must have an IBM account for this event. There is a link on the page to create your IBM account.
Stay tuned for future updates!
Invite colleagues to join us at IBM TechXchange 2026!
#IIUG #IBMTechXchange #Informix
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board
Join Actian and DB Solve for the HCL Informix® User Day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: Monday, July 13, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: Hilton Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia
Actian and DB Solve invite the Malaysian Informix User Group and the wider IIUG community to join us on Monday, 13 July 2026, for a full day of technical presentations, product updates, practical new use cases, and networking with fellow Informix professionals.
Whether you are a developer, database administrator, architect, or IT leader, this event offers an opportunity to learn about the latest developments in HCL Informix® and discuss the future of data management with industry experts and peers.
A highlight of the event will be the participation of John (JC) Lengyel, Chief Architect for HCL Informix, who will share insights into the HCL Informix roadmap, recent product developments, and how HCL Informix continues to evolve to support modern analytics and AI workloads.
Attend to:
- Hear the latest updates on HCL Informix and future product direction
- Learn how organizations are using Informix to support AI and modern data initiatives
- Explore new practical use cases, customer experiences, and technical best practices
- Discover how HCL Informix VectorBlade enables native storage and querying of vector embeddings
- Participate in a dedicated roundtable discussion with Informix experts and members of the product team
This is an excellent opportunity to connect with the Informix community in Malaysia, exchange ideas with fellow users, and hear directly from the people shaping the future of the platform. Register here – https://DBSolveInformixUserDayMY.rsvpify.com
Informix is a trademark of IBM Corporation in at least one jurisdiction and is used under license.
Thanks & Regards,
Jeevan Dash
Field Marketing Manager – APAC
Actian, a division of HCL Software
Informix Corner
HCL Vector Blade Webinar
For those of you who were not able to attend HCL’s June 24 webinar, Modernizing with HCL Informix, Bringing AI to Your Existing date with VectorBlade, HCL has provide their link for replay.
HCL Informix® VectorBlade is a breakthrough feature that allows you to store and query vector embeddings natively within the engine you already trust.
Informix Tech Talks on YouTube
Upcoming Informix Tech Talks
Title: Getting Data Moving With Enterprise Replication
Date/Time: July 16, 2026
Speaker: Tom Beebe, xDB Systems, Inc
Description: Have you been wondering how to make your Informix environment more robust and resilient? Have you been trying to figure out ways to better balance your workloads? Have you wanted to be able to do upgrades with no downtime? Enter the wonderful work of Informix Enterprise Replication. In this talk we will cover what it is, how it works, and how to set it up. Most of this will be relevant to any Informix version (7.x and later), so even if you are on a very legacy version this may give you relevant information.
Bio: Thomas is the Vice President of xDB Systems and the president of the IIUG. He has been working with Informix for 20 years and is a constant evangelist for the product. Alongside his Informix work, he spends far too much time on the Linux command line, dealing with data management using a variety of tools, doing WordPress development, a bit of DevOps and sysadmin work, and whatever else comes up today. Outside of work, he is an avid photographer and a very amateur blacksmith.
Enterprise Replication Registration
Title: Informix TimeSeries implementation using IBM Bob
Date/Time: August 20, 2026
Speaker: Jan Musil, IBM
Description: During the session, we will demonstrate how to use IBM Bob features to improve and accelerate the implementation of Informix TimeSeries. The demonstration will also focus on migrating from legacy relational time-series storage to native Informix TimeSeries support. Using IBM Bob, we will build a web-based analytical application on top of the existing TimeSeries database.
Bio: Jan is a Partner Technical Professional at IBM, specializing in data platform technical sales. He is responsible for data products, primarily Informix and watsonx.data. His current focus also includes IBM Bob, an AI assistant designed to support and accelerate the software development lifecycle.
TimeSeries Using IBM Bob Registration
Title: Migration of the Informix 4GL “green screen“ application to web-based application
Date/Time: September 17, 2026
Speaker: Jan Musil, IBM
Description: The goal of this session will be to turn an old Informix-4GL terminal application into a modern Java web application that can run in containers with Kubernetes. Using simple prompts, IBM Bob will convert it into a clear multi-layer architecture based on Spring Boot. This new design separates the user interface, application logic, and data access, while keeping the existing Informix database. As a result, the application is easier to maintain, extend, and scale.
Bio: Jan is a Partner Technical Professional at IBM, specializing in data platform technical sales. He is responsible for data products, primarily Informix and watsonx.data. His current focus also includes IBM Bob, an AI assistant designed to support and accelerate the software development lifecycle.
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board
Last Informix Tech Talks Replay
Replay of the Last Informix Tech Talks: June 2026 – Vectors at the Core – by Xavi Escoté, Deister
Informix Tech Talks YouTube Channel
Our YouTube Channel now has:
- 597 subscribers (no new subscribers)
- 122 videos (1 new video)
- 27,810 views (235 additional views)
Informix Tech Talks YouTube Channel Videos
Past Informix Tech Talks Replays
In Search of Tech Talks Speakers
We are looking for passionate voices to present at our monthly Tech Talks for 2026! Whether you are a seasoned expert or a fresh voice in the community, your insights can spark the next big breakthrough.
Why Join Us?
-
Connect: Engage with a global community of Informix peers.
-
Support: Help others solve challenges by sharing what you know well.
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Grow: Build your professional brand with the IIUG and Informix ecosystem.
Presentations need only be 15 – 45 minutes. You won’t need to do this alone; the board will assist you with preparing you presentation.
Tech Talks are normally the third Thursday of the month around 1:00 pm ET. However, we are willing to adjust the timing to meet your needs. The IIUG promotes the event and will set up the registration for the event.
All presentations are recorded and will be offered as replays on our YouTube Tech Talks channel page.
Maybe you are too shy to be a presenter. If you have a topic you would like to see as a presentation, you can submit the topic to us and we will try to find a presenter.
You don’t have to be an IIUG member to present or attend the Tech Talks. If you are interested, please contact either Art Kagel or Bruce Simms for additional information.
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board
Informix Training
Free Informix Tutorials Videos – a step-by-step approach to using Informix Database Servers is available at https://advancedatatools.com/tech-info/informix-tutorials/
RFE Corner
IBM has an RFE – Request For Enhancements website.
Please visit the RFE site to vote for your favorite enhancements and place new requests. It is friendly and has a nice look and feel.
Recent
Support for JSON/BSON data type on Informix 4GL 7.51
Popular
Informix should be able to change owner on tables and any other objects (110 votes)
IBM Informix Forum Corner
Join and visit the IBM Informix Community Forum
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Update to utils2_ak, myexport, and scripts_ak
ASF connection name error during startup
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board
How To
In this corner I will write about things that can help in your day-to-day work. Most DBAs probably have their own ways to perform these tasks which may be different than the way I do them. So, if you find an error or can think of a better way, please let me know. If not feel free to use these tips as is or modify them to fit your needs.
This is a stored procedure that can be used when you try to delete a row and receive the following type of message:
Key value for constraint (informix.u2705_9212) is still being referenced
This is really frustrating. The constraint points to the table’s primary key (which does not help much) but even when you figure out the referencing tables it can take you a while to scan through them and find those that are still referenced. We use a stored procedure called who_the_f. parameters are the referenced table name and the primary key value for the deleted row. It returns the referencing tables separated by comas. If there are no referencing tables it returns: “No references found!” Note: This stored procedure uses the view back_ref_view which was described in the May Insider.
create function exists_in_table(t_nm nvarchar(128),
c_name nvarchar(128), chk_val int)
returning smallint
define sel_str nvarchar(255);
define k,j int;
let sel_str =
“select “||c_name||” from “||t_nm||
” where “||c_name||” = “||chk_val;
prepare prp_st from sel_str;
declare find_curs cursor for prp_st;
open find_curs;
let j = 0;
loop
fetch find_curs into k;
exit when SQLCODE = 100;
let j = 1;
exit;
end loop
close find_curs;
free find_curs;
return j;
end function;
create function who_the_f(tb_nm nvarchar(128), chk_val int)
returning lvarchar(2000)
define ret_str lvarchar(2000);
define j smallint;
define k smallint;
define sel_str lvarchar(500);
define referencing_t nvarchar(33);
define referencing_c nvarchar(33);
let k = 0;
let ret_str = “”;
let sel_str =
“select referencing_table, referencing_column”||
” from back_ref_view where referenced_table = ‘”||tb_nm||
“‘ and cascading_delete = ‘No'”;
prepare prep_st1 from sel_str;
declare back_ref_curs cursor for prep_st1;
open back_ref_curs;
loop
fetch back_ref_curs
into referencing_t, referencing_c;
exit when SQLCODE = 100;
let j = exists_in_table(referencing_t, referencing_c, chk_val);
if j > 0 then
let k = k + 1;
if k > 1 then
let ret_str = ret_str||”,”;
end if
let ret_str = ret_str||referencing_t;
end if
end loop;
close back_ref_curs;
free back_ref_curs;
if k = 0 then
let ret_str = “No references found!”;
end if
return ret_str;
end function;
Informix Resources
IIUG Website
Not a member? Become an IIUG member and keep updated on all things Informix. It’s free.
IBM Informix Community
Not a member, join the IBM Informix community and connect with other Informix data experts.
Blogs / Newsletters
Art Kagel – https://informix-myview.blogspot.com/
Mary Schulte – ACTIAN https://www.actian.com/blog/databases/user-friendly-external-smartblobs-using-a-shadow-directory/
Gerd Kaluzinski – German Informix Newsletter
IBM Informix RFE
IBM Informix RFE – Informix Requests for Enhancements.
Technical Articles
Oninit Group
WAIUG (Washington Area Informix User Group) Tech Tips
Over 10 Years of Informix Webcast Replays
Over 30 Years of Informix Blog Posts
Social Media
| YouTube | X |
IIUG’s own Art Kagel was recently features on the Tech Sharmit Podcast to talk about his life and involvement with Informix and database systems.
Catch the podcast here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l81pLa7i-J0)
Forums, Groups, Videos, and Magazines
Informix Marketing channel on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/informixmarketing?feature=results_main
Closing and Credits
The International Informix Users Group (IIUG) is an organization designed to enhance communications between its worldwide user community and IBM. The IIUG’s membership database exceeds 25,000 entries and enjoys the support and commitment of IBM’s Information Management division. Key programs include local user groups and special interest groups, which we promote and assist from launch through growth.
Sources: IIUG Board of Directors
IBM Corp.
Editors: Gary Ben-Israel, Rhonda Hackenburg
For comments, please send an email to gary@iiug.org or rhonda@iiug.org