Informix Driver [ Linux VERIFIED ]
The informixdb package (not actively maintained) or using ODBC via pyodbc . Modern approach: ifxPy (IBM’s Python driver – part of CSDK).
| 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 | informix driver
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: The informixdb package (not actively maintained) or using
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 | Cons: C-only, less portable, manual memory management
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.
conn.Open();
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.
