Skip to content
M↓ View as Markdown ↗

Informix

Connect an Informix database so that Actian AI Analyst can query its tables for Models, Metrics, and SemQL. In Studio, this connector is the Informix tile.

Availability

  • Who can do this: members with the Edit capability in the active Workspace. If your organization turns on Restrict connection management, adding or changing organization connections also needs the Manage organization capability. See Who can add connections.
  • Plan: your organization's plan can leave this connector out. Studio then doesn't show the Informix tile.
  • Deployment: offered only on deployments that are set up to reach Actian, Ingres, Informix, and ZenDB databases. If the Informix tile isn't listed under Warehouses, ask your administrator.

Use a read-only user

AI Analyst only needs read access. This connector can't enforce read-only access by itself, so Studio shows "This Connector cannot enforce read-only access itself. Supply a warehouse user that is limited to read-only privileges." AI Analyst asks the driver for a read-only session where the driver supports it, and limits how long queries run and how many rows they return. See Read-only access and query limits.

1. Set up a read-only user

Use a dedicated account for AI Analyst that has no privileges beyond reading the tables you choose. Ask your database administrator how accounts are created on your Informix server.

2. Grant read access to your tables

In the database you want to connect, grant the user permission to connect and to read each table you want to use. Run the following SQL as a user with DBA privileges, and check the statements with your database administrator for your Informix version:

-- Allow the user to connect to this database
GRANT CONNECT TO actian_analyst_user;

-- Grant read-only access to a specific table
GRANT SELECT ON your_table_name TO actian_analyst_user;

Repeat the GRANT SELECT statement for each table.

Schemas in Informix

AI Analyst treats each table owner as a schema. After a successful test, the Schemas list shows the owners of the tables and views in the database, and you browse tables under each owner.

3. Allow network access

If your Informix server is protected by a firewall, allow AI Analyst's egress IP addresses on your Informix port (default 9088).

  • If your deployment publishes its egress IP addresses, Studio lists them under Which IPs to allow in the Setup help panel next to the connection form.
  • Otherwise, for example on a self-managed deployment, allow your installation's outbound addresses, or ask your administrator which addresses to allow.

For details, see Network access and IP allowlisting.

4. Add the connection in Studio

  1. In Studio, open Connections and click + (Add connection).
  2. Under Warehouses, select Informix.
  3. Under Connection details, enter a Name (for example Informix sales) and, if you like, a Description (optional).
  4. Leave Private to this Workspace unticked to create an organization connection, or tick it to keep the connection in this Workspace only. See Data connections and Workspaces.
  5. Under Credentials, fill in the fields described in Connection fields, or paste a connection string.
  6. Optional: to encrypt the connection, upload a truststore. See Encrypt the connection with TLS.
  7. Click Test connection and wait for Connection successful.
  8. In Schemas, select the schemas (table owners) you want to expose. The first one is preselected. If you change the selection, the test result is cleared: click Test connection again (your selection is kept) and wait for Connection successful.
  9. Click Save connection.

Save connection stays disabled until the connection has a name and a successful test. If you change a credential field after testing, test again. For the general flow and the Setup help panel, see Connect a data source.

Connection fields

Field What to enter
Host The hostname without a protocol (no https://), for example informix-host.example.com.
Port The port for your Informix server instance, as listed in your services file (/etc/services on Linux). The default is 9088.
Database The database name, for example sales. Required.
Informix server The INFORMIXSERVER name from your sqlhosts file, for example ol_informix1410. Required.
Username actian_analyst_user, or the read-only user you set up.
Password The user's password.
SSL truststore (optional) A Java KeyStore (.jks) file that holds the certificate your server presents. Uploading it turns on TLS.
SSL truststore password (optional) The password of the truststore file. Leave it blank if the truststore has no password.
Schemas Appears after a successful test. Select the schemas (table owners) to expose for browsing and Model authoring.

Host, Database, and Informix server can't contain ;, =, or spaces.

Encrypt the connection with TLS

There's no separate SSL switch for Informix. The connection is encrypted only when you upload an SSL truststore (optional) file:

  • With a truststore, AI Analyst connects over TLS and trusts the certificates in the file.
  • Without a truststore, the connection isn't encrypted.

To use TLS:

  1. Make sure Port and Informix server point to a server listener that accepts TLS connections. Ask your database administrator which listener accepts TLS connections.
  2. In SSL truststore (optional), choose your .jks file. Studio reads it in your browser and sends it with the other credentials when you test or save.
  3. If the truststore has a password, enter it in SSL truststore password (optional).

The truststore and its password are stored encrypted, like the user's password, and aren't shown again after you save.

Changing credentials later

When you change a saved connection's credentials with Edit credentials, the stored password and truststore aren't filled in. Enter the password again and upload the truststore again. If you save without a truststore, the connection is no longer encrypted. See Manage a data connection.

Paste a connection string

Instead of typing each field, you can fill the form from a connection string:

  1. Under Credentials, click Paste a connection string.

  2. Paste a JDBC URL or an ODBC-style string into Connection string, for example:

    jdbc:informix-sqli://informix-host.example.com:9088/sales:INFORMIXSERVER=ol_informix1410;user=actian_analyst_user;password=<your_secure_password>

    Host=informix-host.example.com;Service=9088;Server=ol_informix1410;Database=sales;UID=actian_analyst_user;PWD=<your_secure_password>

  3. Click Fill the form, then check the filled-in fields.

In the JDBC form, a colon (:), not a semicolon, separates the database name from its attributes. In the ODBC form, Server is the INFORMIXSERVER name and Service is the port.

Studio fills the fields in your browser. It doesn't store the string, and nothing is sent until you test the connection. A connection string can't set the truststore: upload it in SSL truststore (optional).

Troubleshooting

Problem What to try
The Informix tile isn't listed The connector isn't enabled for your deployment or isn't included in your organization's plan. Ask your administrator.
This warehouse type isn't available right now Your deployment can't currently reach Informix databases. Contact your administrator.
Could not reach the warehouse Check Host and Port, and allow AI Analyst through your firewall (step 3).
Could not establish a secure connection Check that the truststore holds your server's certificate, that the truststore password is right, and that Port and Informix server point to a TLS listener.
Authentication failed Check Username and Password.
This warehouse user cannot see those objects Grant the user CONNECT on the database and SELECT on the tables (step 2).
The test fails with another message Check Informix server against your sqlhosts file, and check that Database exists on that server.

For the other messages, see If the test fails.

Next steps