Query IBM Informix Data in DataGrip

DataGrip is a database IDE that allows SQL developers to query, create, and manage databases. When paired with the CData JDBC Driver for IBM Informix, DataGrip can work with live IBM Informix data. This article shows how to establish a connection to IBM Informix data in DataGrip and use the table editor to load IBM Informix data.

Create a New Driver Definition for IBM Informix

The steps below describe how to create a new Data Source in DataGrip for IBM Informix.

1. In DataGrip, click File -> New > Project and name the project
2. In the Database Explorer, click the plus icon () and select Driver.
3. In the Driver tab:
   • Set Name to a user-friendly name (e.g. "CData IBM Informix Driver")
   • Set Driver Files to the appropriate JAR file. To add the file, click the plus (), select "Add Files," navigate to the "lib" folder in the driver's installation directory and select the JAR file (e.g. cdata.jdbc.informix.jar).
   • Set Class to cdata.jdbc.informix.Informix.jar
   Additionally, in the advanced tab you can change driver properties and some other settings like VM Options, VM environment, VM home path, DBMS, etc
   • For most cases, change the DBMS type to "Unknown" in Expert options to avoid native SQL Server queries (Transact-SQL), which might result in an invalid function error
4. Click "Apply" then "OK" to save the Connection

Configure a Connection to IBM Informix

1. Once the connection is saved, click the plus (), then "Data Source" then "CData IBM Informix Driver" to create a new IBM Informix Data Source.
2. In the new window, configure the connection to IBM Informix with a JDBC URL.

   Built-in Connection String Designer

   For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the IBM Informix JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

   java -jar cdata.jdbc.informix.jar

   Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

   Set the following properties to connect to IBM Informix

   • Server: Set this to the name of the server running IBM Informix.
   • Port: Set this to the port the IBM Informix server is listening on.
   • Database: Set this to the name of the IBM Informix database.
   • User: Set this to the username of a user allowed to access the database.
   • Password: Set this to the password of a user allowed to access the database.
3. Set URL to the connection string, e.g., jdbc:informix:Server=10.0.1.2;Port=50000;User=admin;Password=admin;Database=test;
4. Click "Apply" and "OK" to save the connection string

At this point, you will see the data source in the Data Explorer.

Execute SQL Queries Against IBM Informix

To browse through the IBM Informix entities (available as tables) accessible through the JDBC Driver, expand the Data Source.

To execute queries, right click on any table and select "New" -> "Query Console."

In the Console, write the SQL query you wish to execute. For example: SELECT Id, Price FROM Books WHERE Category = 'US'

Download a free, 30-day trial of the CData JDBC Driver for IBM Informix and start working with your live IBM Informix data in DataGrip. Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.