Sybase IQ database files

When you create a database, Sybase IQ creates a number of files.

**Table 2-1: Database files**
Default physical file name	Internal name	Description	Number created
dbname.db	Not applicable	SQL Anywhere dbspace file. Part of the catalog store.	One or more per server
dbname.log	Not applicable	SQL Anywhere transaction log. Part of the catalog store.	One per server
dbname.iq	IQ_SYSTEM_MAIN	The initial dbfile file for the IQ main store. (User specifies the names for additional files).	One or more per database
dbname.iqtmp	IQ_SYSTEM_TEMP	The initial IQ temporary dbfile file.	One or more per database
dbname.iqmsg	IQ_SYSTEM_MSG	IQ human-readable trace file of debugging output.	One per database
dbname.lmp	Not applicable	IQ human-readable license file.	One per database
Note: The DBA can override the default file names and extensions shown.

You can create a database using a relative or fully qualified pathname for each of the files for the database. If you omit the directory path, Sybase IQ creates the files as follows:

The catalog store is created relative to the working directory of the server.
The IQ store is created relative to the working directory of the server.
The temporary store is created in the same directory as the catalog store. (This also occurs if you do not specify any file name.)
The message log is created in the same directory as the catalog store. (This also occurs if you do not specify any file name.)
The transaction log is created in the same directory as the catalog store. (This also occurs if you do not specify any file name.)

For best performance, place the transaction log on a different physical device from the catalog store and IQ store, because they are randomly accessed files and the transaction log is a sequentially accessed file.

The main and temporary stores contain most of your tabular data. Each database has its own unique files for temporary data. If you don't specify a file, Sybase IQ creates one automatically for use as a temporary storage space. For details about creating a temporary storage area, and what happens if the storage area defined is insufficient, see Installation and Configuration Guide.

You can manage the contents of these files using Sybase Central, as described in Chapter 4, “Managing Databases.”