Temporary smart large objects

Use temporary smart large objects to store text or image data (CLOB or BLOB) that do not require restoring from a backup or log replay in fast recovery.

Temporary smart large objects last for the user session and are much faster to update than smart large objects.

You create a temporary smart large object in the same way as a permanent smart large object, except you set the LO_CREATE_TEMP flag in the ifx_lo_specset_flags or mi_lo_specset_flags function. Use mi_lo_copy or ifx_lo_copy to create a permanent smart large object from a temporary smart large object. For details on creating temporary smart large objects, see the IBM® Informix® DataBlade API Programmer's Guide.
Important: Store pointers to temporary large objects in temporary tables only. If you store them in standard tables and reboot the database server, it results in an error that says that the large object does not exist.
The following table compares standard and temporary smart large objects.
Table 1. Temporary and standard smart large objects
Characteristics Smart large object Temporary smart large object
Creation flags LO_CREATE_LOG or LO_CREATE_NOLOG LO_CREATE_TEMP
Rollback Yes No
Logging Yes, if turned on No
Duration Permanent (until user deletes it) Deleted at end of user session or transaction
Table type stored in Permanent or temporary table Temporary tables