Highlights: What’s New in InformixHQ 2.4.0?
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 IBM Informix community.
Table of Contents
Editorial
This is the end of the first quarter and things are going slow.
We still have no final release date for Informix 15. And as result of that there is nothing we can say about what will be in it. We also know very little about IBM TechXchange 2024 in Las Vegas.
We are not sure what Informix sessions will be included and what will be the part of the IIUG board.
So once again we are relying on you to supply content for the Insider. Some of you probably have something to submit. If this is the case, please do.
Gary Ben-Israel
IIUG Insider Editor
IIUG Board of Directors
gary@iiug.org
Highlights
What’s New in InformixHQ 2.4.0?
Great news… Get ready for more frequent uploads to Fix Central for InformixHQ with additional content and defect fixes. We now have the new InformixHQ 2.4.0 out there on Fix Central with several enhancements.
What’s new in InformixHQ 2.4.0?
Administration:
- H2 Database version has been upgraded to 2.2.224 in order to address security vulnerabilities found in the older version (2.1.214) of the H2 Database. The InformixHQ downloadable zip file on Fix Central includes a README containing detailed instructions for performing this H2 Database upgrade. You can also refer here for more information.
- InformixHQ 2.4.0 is developed using Java 11 and is certified with Java 17. We recommend utilizing either Java 11 or Java 17 for optimal compatibility and performance.
- First time user needs to login with admin/admin credentials. Upon initial log in , users will be prompted to change their password. The earlier method of setting ‘initialAdminPassword’ property in the properties file, has been removed. This eliminates the need to put the admin password as plain text in a file, thereby increasing the security.
- InformixHQ version 2.4.0 onwards, following filename changes are done:
| Before 2.4.0 | Starting 2.4.0 |
| informixhq-server.log | monitoring-server.log |
| informixhq-agent.log | monitoring-agent.log |
| informixhq-server.properties | monitoring-server.properties |
| informixhq-agent.properties | monitoring-agent.properties |
| server.log4j.xml | monitoring-server.log4j.xml |
| agent.log4j.xml | monitoring-agent.log4j.xml |
Ease of use:
- Enhancements to Enterprise Replication
Enhancements to Enterprise Replication include creation of ER Domain and replicates using InformixHQ. This relieves a user from remembering complex CDR commands. Using just a few clicks, their ER domain is ready to use. Users can also see the CDR commands running on Informix Server in the UI.
Comprehensive built-in documentation is also available for easy reference, within InformixHQ.
- Introduction of four new toggles to the SQL Editor for improved usability.
- Multi Statement Execution: Users now have the flexibility to run multiple SQL statements keeping this toggle on. Going back to the single statement execution mode is also possible keeping this toggle off. Default is Multi Statement Execution.
NOTE: At present, only {} (curly braces) style comments are supported in SQL Editor.
- Continue on failure: With this toggle on, all the SQL statements given before and after the failing SQL statement are executed, regardless of the error in execution of any of those statements. With the toggle off, InformixHQ will stop at the first SQL statement failure. This toggle is on by default.
- Auto-commit: With this toggle on, commit is performed for all the executed SQL statements. But, if the toggle is off, and if there are any uncommitted SQL statements, a user will be prompted to rollback or commit those before doing their next operation/action in InformixHQ. This toggle is on by default.
- Run as Batch Mode: When this toggle is on, the entire contents of the SQL Editor text box will be sent to the server in a batch over a JDBC connection, and the result will be displayed as is in the UI. If this toggle is enabled, Continue on failure will be disabled automatically and any execution error will result in terminating the batch execution. This toggle is off by default.
- Introduction of new toggle mode ‘Work Online/Work Offline’
Prior to version 2.4.0, InformixHQ could be used for visualizing, monitoring and managing Informix server instances only if the Informix server instance was in online mode.
InformixHQ 2.4.0 provides a new toggle Work Online/Work Offline. If a user wants to do some task that does not require InformixHQ connection to Informix server, this toggle can be used. When Work Offline toggle option is selected by the user, InformixHQ disconnects all the user or Agent initiated JDBC connections to the Informix server. However, user can continue to use Setup of server, Monitoring, Alerting, Permissions menu options in InformixHQ. Menu options such as Schema Manager, Replication will be greyed out if user selects Work Offline toggle option and those will become active when user switches to the Work Online.
- Support for Dark/Light theme mode for InformixHQ
Support for Dark/Light theme offers both light and dark themes ensuring that a user can choose what works best for them, thereby improving accessibility.
- Easy access to InformixHQ Server log
The current InformixHQ Server log file is now accessible for viewing directly from the InformixHQ.
Karen Qualley
HCL
Conference Corner
IBM TechXchange Conference Las Vegas, NV, USA
Title: IBM TechXchange Conference 2024
Date: October 21-24, 2024
Location: Mandalay Bay – Las Vegas, NV, USA
IBM has opened the Call for Sessions. Selected speakers will enjoy exclusive benefits, including a complimentary pass, access to coaching, and IBM TechXchange swag. Client speakers are also eligible (subject to approval) for a complimentary conference pass to share with a colleague within their company. Deadline to submit is April 30.
Submit your session proposal today!
Be in the know about the latest tech, certifications, education & AI trends.
Join us to gain industry-leading skills, get a first look at the latest product roadmaps, engage in hands-on experiences, earn industry-leading credentials, network with thousands of peers, and hear from the best and brightest minds working in tech today. Discover what’s to come in your area of focus.
For additional information IBM TechXchange Conference 2024.
The IIUG is Still Gathering Speaker Interest for a 2024 Informix Event
As mentioned in last month’s Insider, the IIUG has begun discussions regarding our next event. It is never to early to start thinking about topics you might want to share with the Informix community. You can present topics on Informix or products or technology that work with Informix. As always, presentations are approximately 45-minutes in length.
If you think you are interested in presenting for the IIUG in 2024, please submit your name, and topic (if you have one) to rhonda@iiug.org. If you need help with a topic, we are always here for you. Your participation as speaker will help guide the direction and format of our next event.
Keep following the IIUG Insiders, updates.
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board, Planning Committee
Informix Corner
IBM’s Quick Survey
This survey is highly important and will take just a minute of your time.
Please select all that apply.
Thanks,
Carlton Doe
IBM
Informix Tech Talks on YouTube
Upcoming Informix Tech Talks
Title: Data Integration between Watsonx data, IBM Informix journey into the Metaverse
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024
Time: 2:00 pm EDT
Speaker: Henri Cujass, leolo IT Informix Consulting
Agenda: Enter the AI era with your Informix database.
As part of Siemens AG’s Industrial MetaVerse strategy, the first AI Informix applications (MvP) were developed in collaboration with Siemens key engineers, Deister Software developers and leolo IT Informix Consulting.
In an exciting presentation, Henri reveals the solution approaches and explains the architecture and tools.
Henri shows in detail the integration of Informix in watsonx.data and watsonx.ai.
The presentation is intended to motivate all Informix users to generate their first AI models based on their Informix database and to use them immediately in their business.
Henri positions Informix with watsonx.ai for the new AI age: “After Informix IoT, we have arrived at Informix AI.”
In Barcelona, Henri, together with Siemens, was already able to inspire many with this presentation.
Get ready for Informix AI.
Bio: After his computer science studies, Henri developed large and well-known retail systems with Informix 4GL.
Later, as an employee of Informix Germany, he advised Informix customers in EMEA.
He founded leolo IT with his partner 25 years ago and, together with friends and colleagues, supports countless important and interesting large and small Informix users in Europe. Henri specializes in Informix and SQL tuning as well as sizing Informix back-end systems from 10 to 150,000 concurrent users.
The idea of discussing the IT future with friends and customers in an open and creative way was the basis from which Henri developed the exclusive format of the “leolo Mastermind Conference” a few years ago.
His enthusiasm for Informix and many brainstorming sessions with creative minds gave rise to the approach for the PoC presented here. His aim is to pass on this enthusiasm for Informix and all its possibilities, especially to the new young IT generation.
Title: Migrating Databases Under the Worst Conditions – with Fail-back!
Date: Thursday, May 16, 2024
Time: 2:00 pm EDT
Speaker: Art Kagel, ASK Database Management
Agenda: ••Challenge
Migrate a large database to the cloud over slow and unreliable WAN connections.
Maintain fail-back strategy:
– Keep the target database in sync with the source until turnover.
– After turnover keep the source database in synch with the target in case of unexpected need to revert!
Last Informix Tech Talks Replay
Replay of the Last Informix Tech Talks: WAIUG Meeting, December, 2023:
- Ensuring Data Integrity, Pavan Gummalla
- InformixHQ, Shubham Kapoor
- Check Your Backups with Archecker, Mike Walker
Informix Tech Talks YouTube Channel
Our YouTube Channel now has:
-
480 subscribers (12 new subscribers)
-
104 videos
-
16,506 views (604 additional views)
Informix Tech Talks YouTube Channel Videos
Past Informix Tech Talks Replays
In Search of Tech Talks Speakers
We are looking for additional speakers and especially any new speakers to share your Informix knowledge with our user Community via the IIUG Tech Talks. We will assist you in preparing for your Tech Talks presentation by prerecording your session. This will allow you to be available to answer any questions that come up in the chat during you presentation.
If you are interested in producing a 15 – 45-minute presentation, please contact either Art Kagel or Rhonda Hackenburg for additional information.
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board
Schedule Your Informix 14.10 Exam Today
The Informix 14.10 Badge exam is still available!
The exam will be administered online. You are required to complete the exam with a proctor from our approved list, or nominate one of your own, to be approved by IBM or the IIUG Board. You will be required to have a live webcam running as you complete the exam.
For those not familiar with the term Proctor: Proctor is frequently used to describe someone who oversees an exam. In today’s testing environment, a proctor will typically verify a student’s identity by checking a photo ID and ensure academic integrity guidelines are followed during the exam.
Click here to learn more or schedule your exam.
Informix Training
Free Informix Tutorials Videos – a step by step approach to using Informix Database Servers are 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
Make range fragmentation work on high-write systems
Support for ON DELETE SET NULL and ON UPDATE CASCADE clauses in FOREIGN KEY statements
Add support for SQL_CONVERT functions as part of the CSDK
Restore of chunks of one dbspace in parallel
Add new chunks while a backup is in progress
Popular (Over 50 votes)
Obtain the query plan of a running query
Many times a DBA is called to check upon a slow process. Most of the times those processes are running a slow query.
Sometimes it’s hard to know if the query is using the best query plan or not. A DBA can reproduce the query, but it it was prepared without values or if the statistics were changed after it started there is no guarantee that the query plan seen by the DBA is the same as the running query.
We have “onstat -g pqs” which sometimes can give us a clue, but it’s mostly cryptic and undocumented. If a user has X-Windows he can try xtree, but it’s a bit strange for todays standards.
We also have SQLTRACE, but if it was not set when the query was launched it will not capture the info (and besides, due to the circular nature of the buffer it may not be there at the time we need it).
A simple pseudo-table in sysmaster could probably implement this with ease.
It could also be extended to support the “last” query plan making it easy to get the query plan in any tool
Votes: 108 (+1)
Created: December 24, 2018
Status: Future consideration
Informix should be able to change owner on tables and any other objects
If user=informix creates all database and all tables, then programmer creates table but user=informix cannot change it. Only drop it.
Votes: 105 (+1)
Created: December 24, 2018
Status: Future consideration
Backup Individual database, not entire instance
Need a mechanism, similar to ontape, to backup a live database (as opposed to entire instance), without locking it.
Votes: 93 (+1)
Created: December 24, 2018
Status: Future consideration
Gary Ben-Israel
IIUG Board
IBM Informix Forum Corner
Join and visit the IBM Informix community forum
Recent Posts
Informix V15 and better GLS: What about char length semantics?
SQL command identification/source
alter table modify lvarchar column length report -136 ‘ no more extents’ error
Have latest versions of Informix been officially released yet?
Support for ON DELETE SET NULL and ON UPDATE CASCADE clauses in FOREIGN KEY statements
Gary Ben-Israel
IIUG Board
Informix Resources
Not a member, become an IIUG member and keep updated on all things Informix. It’s free.
Not a member, join the IBM Informix community and connect with other Informix data experts.
Informix Requests for Enhancements.
Technical Articles
https://www.oninitgroup.com/technical-articles/
Over 10 Years of Informix Webcast Replays
Over 30 Years of Informix Blog Posts
Social Media
| YouTube | X (Twitter) |
Forums, Groups, Videos, and Magazines
The IIUG old forums at http://www.iiug.org/forums/technical.php *** NO LONGER ACTIVE ***
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