With the introduction of support for JSON as a native type and the ability to shard collections of documents, Informix has entered into the fast-paced, dynamic domain of NoSQL web and mobile application development, where engaging with customers has moved beyond merely recording transactions.

IBM has introduced the ability to use the Informix and DB2 relational database management system (DBMS) to store NoSQL Javascript Object Notation (JSON) documents through the MongoDB clients. JSON has become the dominant format for information exchange in web and mobile applications, and MongoDB, which only exchanges information as JSON documents, has the largest market share of NoSQL document storage systems. Informix is more specifically an object-relational DBMS. The existing ability to create new types and functions to work with them has made it possible to implement JSON and binary-JSON (BSON) types as first class citizens.

The domain of NoSQL database management systems is very broad. It encompasses NoSQL systems which do not manage relationships between sets of information at all and those not using the SQL language for such relationships (“no SQL” systems), and those with the capability to use both SQL and relational data, and non-relational functions for accessing structured information (“not-only SQL” systems).

Informix is now one of the “not-only SQL” DBMS.

 IBM-Informix-12.10.xC2-Enhancements-Introducing-NoSQL-Capabilities-(2013-10)