Highlights: IIUG Election Nominations Opening October 21st
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
Hard to believe we are approaching the end of 2024. So many items coming up:
- We are eagerly awaiting the release date of Informix V15.
- The IIUG elections will begin with new Board, taking office January 1, 2025. Make sure your membership information is up to date.
- WAIUG meeting, in November. You don’t have to be a member to attend.
- TechXchange is happening in a few weeks.
- IBM’s Webcast on Pushing the boundaries of data scalability: An in-depth look at Informix 15.
Board nominations will begin October 21 and will close November 4, 2024. We are looking for IIUG members who support Informix and are willing to share their time to support the IIUG Board and its activities. You can nominate yourself or another IIUG member, with their consent. IMPORTANT: You must be an IIUG member to be eligible to vote. Update your membership today. Please share these links with others who would want to join the IIUG. Look for an email with the official start of elections and call for nominations.
| Login | Join IIUG |
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Insider Editor
IIUG Board of Directors
rhonda@iiug.org
Highlights
IIUG Election Nominations Opening October 21st
Every two years the membership of the International Informix Users Group elects its Board of Directors. Anyone who became an IIUG member at least one month prior to the election is eligible to vote via online ballot. This term for the new Board of Directors will begin on January 1st, 2025 and will terminate on December 31st, 2026.
Nominations will open October 21, 2024. Candidates MUST be existing IIUG members. We are looking for candidate who already show their support of Informix and can donate their time to meet the many and varied challenges and function of the IIUG Board.
For additional information, IIUG Board Elections 2025-2026 – IIUG.
John Fahey
IIUG Election Commissioner
jjfahey@gmail.com
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
It is not too late if you are interested in attending TechXchange!
Be in the know about the latest tech, certifications, education & AI trends.
Join IBM 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.
Informix Sessions:
|
Informix 15: What’s New and What’s Next Carlton Doe, IBM Informix Evangelist and author, introduces the newest version of Informix and highlights its many improvements and innovations. The performance you enterprise relies on is getting even better, just in time for your increasingly complex workloads. Whether you rely on Informix for transactional processing, analytics or AI with watsonx—don’t miss this informative session. |
Carlton Doe, IBM Wednesday, October 23, 11:30 am Session 3334, South, Banyan, Level 3 |
|
Informix for watsonx – your way into AI – guide, examples and a fantastic success story Companies using IBM Informix can now unlock additional value from their Informix data through integration with watsonx. Watsonx facilitates rapid, governed access to data residing in IBM Informix, to enable the creation of real-time dashboards and insights reporting, as well as the processing of new analytics use cases and AI models. With watsonx.data’s new connector for IBM Informix, users can easily access and query multi-modal data types in IBM Informix as well as other data sources with zero-ETL, while delivering built-in governance, security, and automation. The watsonx.ai Informix connector makes it easy to build your AI use case. |
Henri Cujass, leole IT Thursday, October 24, 8:30 am Session 2269, South, Jasmine G, Level 3 |
|
Informix, the database that does so much more! Informix has been part of IBM’s portfolio since 2001. A lot has happened to it since then to keep it a feature rich, cutting edge, fast database, with a huge range of applications. From its small footprint, autonomous features, MQTT and NoSQL support that makes it ideal as an embeddable database, to its speed, reliability and scalability as an Enterprise database, Informix is a great choice for so many applications. TimeSeries and Spatial support add capabilities to a relational database without the need to add to the software stack. Mike is an IBM Champion and has used Informix for over 25 years. This presentation will describe at a high level the many features of Informix that make it such a versatile product, and how it is so much more than just a standard relational database. |
Mike Walker, xDB Systems, Inc Tuesday, October 22, 11:30 am Session 2912, South, South Seas D, Level 3 |
|
Securing Informix Connections with SSL Security has become more important than ever. Between compliance rules and best security practices there are many new rules and regulations that face a DBA these days. One of the most important, and often overlooked areas of security is the encryption of data-in-transit. Informix has a few different ways of establishing encryption. In this session we will cover how to configure SSL listeners in a variety of situations. This will help all types of Informix installs. From multiple edge IoT devices to huge data warehouses, this will be a valuable class for any administrator that needs to implement it. This is a technical talk focused as a how-to for getting SSL up and running in your Informix environment. |
Thomas Beebe, xDB Systems, Inc Wednesday, October 23, 1:30 pm Session 2938, South, Jasmine G, Level 3 |
|
NEW: Using multiple data integration tools in a data architecture in the banking industry Architecture and projects associated with the integration (Datastage and Data Replication) of multiple data sources (informix and third party) to a data warehouse to define the consume of information of data analysts, BI developers and other business users. |
Carlos Hernandex, Gerente, Intercam Details have not yet been posted Session 2983 |
|
NEW: The WWT Advanced Technology Center: IBM Products, Use Cases, Integration, and Lessons Learned The WWT Advanced Technology Center is a $850 million collaborative ecosystem to design, build, demonstrate, and deploy innovative technology products and integrated architectural solutions. We have built an environment with IBM Power Systems, IBM Storage, and Red Hat Openshift – integrated with each other and with other vendors – to demonstrate the strength of IBM solutions. The environment builds awareness and credibility within a new IBM business partner, support POCs and demos, educate, and highlight opportunities for integration and interoperability, with a special focus on AI use cases, AI infrastructure, and hybrid and private cloud. In this session, multiple IBM Champions will describe what we’ve built, the various integrations and POCs that have been explored, and lessons learned. |
Ryan Avery, Storage Solution Architect, World Wide Technology Kevin Gee, Global Technical Solutions Architect (Field CTO), World Wide Technology Tuesday, October 22, 4:30 pm Session 2863, South, Oceanside B, Level 2 |
For our Informix Community members who use or are interested in Informix as well as other IBM products you can learn more here: IBM TechXchange Conference 2024.
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board
Informix Corner
IBM Informix 15 Webcast
Title: Pushing the boundaries of data scalability: An overview of Informix 15
Date: Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Time: 9:00 AM EST
Speaker: Carlton Doe
Description: Join us as Carlton Doe, Informix Technical Product Manager, showcases how Informix 15 revolutionizes database performance and scalability, enabling near infinite data storage scalability and management. Learn about the enhanced Informix HQ monitoring tool and support for the latest libraries and non-English language sets, simplifying global application deployment and complex data management.
Agenda:
- Introduction
- Informix 15 Enhancements
- Database performance and scalability
- Enhanced Informix HQ Monitoring Tool
- Support for Latest Libraries and Non-English Language Sets
- Q&A
Click here for more info and to register.
IBM
Modernization Checklist
Don’t let your off-support IBM Informix instance hold your business back. Our step-by-step checklist provides actionable steps to guide you through a successful modernization project. Actian’s comprehensive checklist covers:
- Strategic planning: Define your goals, KPIs, and roadmap.
- Database assessment: Evaluate your current HCL Informix environment.
- Modernization options: Explore migration paths and upgrade strategies.
- Implementation guidance: Navigate organizational challenges and team collaboration
https://www.actian.com/lp/accelerate-your-hcl-informix-modernization/
Informix Tech Talks on YouTube
Upcoming Informix Tech Talks
There is currently no Tech Talks for October.
Title: Washington Area Informix Users Group (WAIUG) Meeting
Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024
Time: 9:30 AM – 13:00 PM EST
Speaker: Various
Description: Join us for latest information regarding Informix 15 and other Informix topics.
We are still finalizing the agenda. The WAIUG and IIUG websites will be updated once the agenda is finalized.
NOTE: You do not have to be a WAIUG member to attend!
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board
Last Informix Tech Talks Replay
Replay of the Last Informix Tech Talks: New Informix New Connector that lets you seamlessly connect to IBM Informix IBM Watsonx – Jan Musil – September 2024
Informix Tech Talks YouTube Channel
Our YouTube Channel now has:
-
513 subscribers (4 new subscribers)
-
108 videos (1 new video)
-
19,460 views (536 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
Support local authentication method to manage credentials on Informix Using Hashicorp Vault
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 (+0)
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 (+0)
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 (+0)
Created: December 24, 2018
Status: Future consideration
Rhonda Hackenburg
IUG Board
IBM Informix Forum Corner
Join and visit the IBM Informix community forum
Recent Posts
LOB error on a table w/o any blob
DB/4GL error 1809 from OPENLDAP
Large memory segment vs smaller ones
“Pool Summary” versus “Blkpool Summary” in “onstat -g mem” output
Creating index stuck forever on an ipl thread
Detecting an exploited bug in 4GL Code
Optimization Suggestions for IBM Cloud Services with Drone Data Processing (Drone with Camera 4K)
Rhonda Hackenburg
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
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