Getting an Overview of High-Performance Loading

The database server provides high-performance parallel loading and unloading of tables. To set up high-performance loading, you issue a series of SQL statements that perform the following functions:

• Partition load activity over available resources to provide high-performance parallel loading
• Transfer operational data efficiently from a mainframe to a data warehouse
• Transfer data files across platforms in Informix internal data format
• Use the database server to convert data between delimited ASCII, fixed-ASCII, EBCDIC, and Informix internal (raw) representation
• Use SQL INSERT and SELECT statements to specify the mapping of data to new columns in a database table
• Provide parallel standard INSERT operations so that data can be loaded without dropping indexes
• Use named pipes to support loading data to and unloading data from storage devices, including tape drives and direct network connections to mainframes
• Maintain a record of load and unload statistics during the run
• Check constraints
• Perform express (high-speed) and deluxe (data-checking) transfers

The database server can use parallel SQL operators to distribute these tasks easily.