The technology's extensibility model centered on DataBlade modules that defined types and associated index methods, operators, and functions for purposes and data domains that included Web publishing, search and manipulation of text, and management of geospatial information.

It enabled all kinds of structured and unstructured multimedia data types to be stored as true objects in existing databases, and not just as parcels of data with object wrappers a la Oracle Corp.[1] In 1995, NASA decided Illustra would be the right tool to store and manipulate millions of satellite photographs.

The only stumbling block was the company size: with only 150 employees, Illustra didn't have the manpower or the scale to support the NASA project.

Stonebraker's share was $6.5 million, and he became CTO of Informix after the merger, a position he held until September 2000.

In April 2017, IBM delegated active development and support to HCL Technologies for 15 years while keeping part of the marketing responsibilities.