Answer: SQL-Retriever does not work directly with C-ISAM files.
Solution: One solution is to configure an Informix Standard Engine to access the C-ISAM files, which it can do, and then configure SQL-Retriever to access the Informix Standard Engine thus accessing the C-ISAM files.
Note that the version of C-ISAM implemented in the Informix Standard Engine should match the C-ISAM version of the C-ISAM database. Also, Informix OnLine cannot access C-ISAM files in a similar way to Informix Standard Engine as described above.
Notes: C-ISAM stands for C (as in the programming language) Indexed Sequential Access Method. C-ISAM is a set of functions that can be used in C language programs to manipulate data. For further information on C-ISAM, consult relevant database documentation.
Informix Standard Engine datafile structure consists of .dat and .idx files which is consistent with C-ISAM structure.
For further information on configuring Informix Standard Engine to access C-ISAM structures, contact Informix.