IBM® Informix® data types

Figure 1 provides a chart for selecting correct data types for the columns of a table depending on the type of data that will be stored. The following figure shows a hierarchy of data types that reflects how the database server manages the data types.
Figure 1. IBM Informix data types
This figure shows rectangles that represent categories of data. Lines connecting the rectangles illustrate parent and child relationships. The top rectangle, "DATA TYPES," has two children: "Built-in data types" and "Extended data types." "Built-in data types" has two children. One of them, "Predefined data," is also a child of "Extended data types." The other child of "Built-in data types" is "Fundamental or atomic." "Fundamental or atomic" has four children: "Character," "Numeric," "Time," and "Simple Large Objects: TEXT BYTE." "Extended data types" has one child: "Predefined data," which has four children: "LVARCHAR", "BOOLEAN", "Smart Large Objects: BLOB, CLOB," and "Other predefined data types."