Lowest latency, direct access to database features (e.g., collections, row types). Cons: C-only, less portable, manual memory management. 3.2 ODBC Driver Standard: ODBC 3.8 compliant Connection String Example:
using (IfxConnection conn = new IfxConnection("Host=myhost;Database=mydb;User Id=user;Password=pass;Server=ol_informix1170"))
Supports large objects (CLOB, BLOB), statement caching, and failover parameters ( IFX_AUTOFREE , IFX_ISOLATION_LEVEL ). 3.4 .NET Driver IBM provides IBM.Data.Informix (formerly IBM.Data.DB2 includes Informix support). Also open-source IfxDriver for .NET Core. informix driver
| Isolation Level | Dirty Read | Non-repeatable Read | Phantom Read | |----------------|------------|---------------------|---------------| | Dirty Read | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Committed Read | No | Yes | Yes | | Cursor Stability | No | No (for current row) | Yes | | Repeatable Read | No | No | No | | Last Committed | No | No (but older snapshot) | Yes |
conn.Open();
import ifxPy conn = ifxPy.connect("database=mydb;host=myhost;port=9088;server=ol_informix1170;protocol=onsoctcp", "user", "pass") | Informix Type | ODBC C Type | JDBC Java Type | .NET Type | |---------------|-------------|----------------|------------| | INTEGER | SQL_C_LONG | int | Int32 | | SMALLINT | SQL_C_SSHORT | short | Int16 | | DECIMAL(p,s) | SQL_C_NUMERIC | BigDecimal | decimal | | VARCHAR(n) | SQL_C_CHAR | String | string | | DATETIME YEAR TO SECOND | SQL_C_TIMESTAMP | java.sql.Timestamp | DateTime | | BYTE | SQL_C_BINARY | byte[] | byte[] | | TEXT | SQL_C_CHAR | java.sql.Clob | string (large) | | BLOB | SQL_C_BINARY | java.sql.Blob | byte[]/Stream | | BOOLEAN | SQL_C_BIT | boolean | bool |
Informix, database driver, ODBC, JDBC, CSDK, connectivity, performance tuning, transaction isolation 1. Introduction IBM Informix is a robust relational database management system (RDBMS) known for its high concurrency, low administrative overhead, and TimeSeries capabilities. However, its effectiveness in modern applications depends critically on the underlying database driver. A driver translates application API calls (e.g., JDBC, ODBC) into the Informix wire protocol (SQLI or DRDA) and vice versa. Lowest latency, direct access to database features (e
Author: Technical Research Division Date: April 14, 2026 Abstract The Informix Driver serves as a critical connectivity bridge between applications and IBM Informix database servers. This paper provides a complete technical examination of the Informix Driver ecosystem, including native (CSDK) interfaces, ODBC, JDBC, .NET, and Python drivers. We analyze architectural patterns, connection management, data type mappings, transaction handling, and performance tuning strategies. Empirical results demonstrate that driver selection and configuration can impact application throughput by up to 40%. The paper concludes with best practices for high-availability and ETL environments.
