Informix (Generic)

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.streamkap.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Prerequisites

• Informix version ≥ 12.10 (14.10 or 15 recommended)
• The source database must be created with logging (ANSI-logged or buffered-log). Non-logged databases cannot be captured.
• A database user with privileges to:
  • Connect to the source database and syscdcv1
  • SELECT on tables you want to capture
  • SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE on the Streamkap signal table

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Informix Setup

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1. Grant Database Access

• Configure one of the Connection Options to ensure Streamkap can reach your database.

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2. Create Database User

-- Run as user 'informix' or another DBA
-- Replace { ... } placeholders as required

-- Create the OS-level user 'streamkap_user' on the Informix host first
-- (e.g. `useradd streamkap_user` on Linux). Informix authenticates against OS users
-- unless you are using an alternative authentication module.

-- Grant Streamkap access to the source database
DATABASE {databaseName};
GRANT CONNECT TO streamkap_user;

-- Grant SELECT on every table Streamkap should capture
GRANT SELECT ON {schemaName}.{tableName} TO streamkap_user;

-- Grant access to the CDC API database
DATABASE syscdcv1;
GRANT CONNECT TO streamkap_user;

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3. Enable Change Data Capture

-- Run as user 'informix' (DBA)
DATABASE sysmaster;
SELECT name FROM sysdatabases WHERE name = 'syscdcv1';

# Run on the Informix server host as the 'informix' user
dbaccess sysadmin $INFORMIXDIR/etc/syscdcv1.sql

-- Replace {databaseName} placeholder
DATABASE sysmaster;
SELECT name, is_logging, is_buff_log, is_ansi
  FROM sysdatabases
 WHERE name = '{databaseName}';

# Replace {databaseName} placeholder
# Requires a level-0 archive to exist before logging can be enabled
ontape -s -L 0
ondblog buf {databaseName}

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4. Enable Snapshots

-- Run as a DBA (e.g. the 'informix' user) so the table can be created on behalf of streamkap_user.
-- Replace {databaseName} placeholder.
DATABASE {databaseName};

-- Create the signal table owned by streamkap_user.
-- Using the explicit schema prefix guarantees the table is owned by streamkap_user
-- regardless of which user runs the script, and makes the fully-qualified name you
-- enter in the Streamkap UI unambiguous: streamkap_user.streamkap_signal.
CREATE TABLE streamkap_user.streamkap_signal (
  id   VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
  type VARCHAR(32)  NOT NULL,
  data VARCHAR(2000)
);

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5. Heartbeats

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Layer 1: Connector heartbeats (enabled by default)

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Layer 2: Source database heartbeats (recommended)

• Read-write connections (when Read only is No during Streamkap Setup): The Connector updates the heartbeat table directly.
• Read-only connections (when Read only is Yes during Streamkap Setup): A scheduled job on the primary database updates the heartbeat table, and these changes replicate to the read replica for the Connector to consume.

-- Run as a DBA (e.g. the 'informix' user) so the table is created on behalf of streamkap_user.
-- Replace {databaseName} placeholder.
DATABASE {databaseName};

-- Create the heartbeat table owned by streamkap_user.
CREATE TABLE streamkap_user.streamkap_heartbeat (
  id          INT          NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
  text        VARCHAR(255),
  last_update DATETIME YEAR TO FRACTION(3) DEFAULT CURRENT YEAR TO FRACTION(3)
);

-- Insert the first row that the Connector will update on each heartbeat tick.
INSERT INTO streamkap_user.streamkap_heartbeat (id, text) VALUES (1, 'test_heartbeat');

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Streamkap Setup

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1. Create the Source

• Navigate to Add Connectors.
• Choose Informix.

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2. Connection Settings

• Name: Enter a name for your connector.
• Hostname: IP address or hostname of the Informix database server.
• Port: Default is 9088 (the Informix SQLI listener port).
• Connect via SSH Tunnel: The Connector will connect to an SSH server in your network which has access to your database. This is necessary if the Connector cannot connect directly to your database.
  • See SSH Tunnel for setup instructions.
• Username: Username to access the database. By default, Streamkap scripts use streamkap_user.
• Password: Password to access the database.
• Source Database: The name of the Informix database from which to stream the changes.
• Heartbeats:
  • Heartbeat Table Schema: Streamkap will use a table in this schema to manage heartbeats. For Informix this is typically the owner of the streamkap_heartbeat table (e.g. streamkap_user). See Heartbeats for setup instructions.

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3. Snapshot Settings

• Signal Table (Schema.Table): The Connector will use this table to manage snapshots. You can specify either just the schema/owner name (e.g., streamkap_user) or the full path in schema.table format (e.g., streamkap_user.streamkap_signal). See Enable Snapshots for setup instructions.

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4. Advanced Parameters

• Represent binary data as: Specifies how the data for binary columns e.g. byte, blob should be interpreted. Your destination for this data can impact which option you choose. Default is bytes.
• CDC Engine Buffer Size (bytes) (Default 65536) — Size of the read buffer used by the CDC engine. Increase only if you see CDC-side back-pressure on very high-volume tables.
• CDC Engine Timeout (seconds) (Default 5) — How long the CDC engine will wait on a blocking read before breaking out to check for shutdown signals. The default is correct for most deployments.
• Capture Only Captured Databases DDL (Default false) — Whether the Connector records schema structures for all databases on the server or only the one you’ve configured. Enabling this can improve performance and reduce startup time when you have many databases. See Schema History Optimization for details.
• Capture Only Captured Tables DDL (Default false) — Whether the Connector records schema structures for all tables in the configured database or only the ones it is capturing. Enabling this can improve performance when the database has many tables. See Schema History Optimization for details.

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5. Schema and Table Capture

• Add Schemas/Tables: Specify the schema(s) and table(s) for capture. Enter each entry as schema.table (for example informix.customers). Streamkap automatically qualifies each entry with the Source Database you configured above, so you do not need to repeat the database name in the UI.
  • You can bulk upload here. The format is a simple list of schemas and tables, with each entry on a new row. Save as a .csv file without a header.

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Troubleshooting

DATABASE sysmaster;
SELECT name FROM sysdatabases WHERE name = 'syscdcv1';

-- Replace {databaseName} placeholder
DATABASE sysmaster;
SELECT name, is_logging, is_buff_log
  FROM sysdatabases
 WHERE name = '{databaseName}';

-- Replace {databaseName} placeholder
DATABASE {databaseName};
SELECT username, usertype FROM sysusers WHERE username = 'streamkap_user';

# Run on the Informix server host as the 'informix' user
ontape -s -L 0

# Once the archive completes, enable buffered logging on the database
ondblog buf {databaseName}