Phase 10: smart-LOB BLOB read via SQ_FILE / lotofile

Implements end-to-end BLOB reading by leveraging the server's
lotofile() function and intercepting the SQ_FILE protocol with
in-memory file emulation. Avoids implementing the heavier
SQ_FPROUTINE + SQ_LODATA stack initially planned for Phase 10.

Strategy: SELECT lotofile(blob_col, '/path', 'client') causes the
server to orchestrate a SQ_FILE (98) protocol round-trip — it tells
the client to "open file X, write these bytes, close". Our handler
buffers the writes in memory keyed by filename instead of touching
disk. The bytes appear in cursor.blob_files dict.

Wire protocol (per IfxSqli.receiveSQFILE line 4980):
* SQ_FILE optype 0 (open): server sends filename + mode/flags/offset
* SQ_FILE optype 3 (write): chunked SQ_FILE_WRITE (107) blocks of
  data, terminated by SQ_EOT. Client responds with total size.
* SQ_FILE optype 1 (close): bare SQ_EOT both ways.

API:
* Low-level: cur.execute("SELECT lotofile(col, '/tmp/X', 'client') ...")
  followed by cur.blob_files[returned_filename] for the bytes.
* High-level: cur.read_blob_column("SELECT col FROM ... WHERE ...", params)
  returns bytes directly, wrapping the user's SQL with lotofile.

Bonus: row decoder now handles UDTVAR (type 40) with extended_name=
"lvarchar" — the wire format that lotofile() returns its result as.
Format: [byte indicator][int length][bytes].

Tests: 6 integration tests in test_smart_lob_read.py covering
low-level + high-level paths, NULL/no-match, multi-chunk (30KB),
and validation. Test data seeded via JDBC reference client since
smart-LOB writes still need Phase 11.

Total: 64 unit + 117 integration = 181 tests.

Strategic insight from this phase: don't estimate protocol-
implementation cost from JDBC's class hierarchy alone. JDBC's
IfxSmBlob is 600+ lines but the wire-level READ path reduces to one
SQL function call + one new tag handler. The wire is often simpler
than the SDK suggests.

Deferred to Phase 11+:
* Smart-LOB write (still needs SQ_FPROUTINE + SQ_LODATA)
* BlobLocator.read() OO API (requires locator-to-source mapping)
* SQ_FILE optype 2 (filetoblob client→server path)

docs/DECISION_LOG.md

@@ -719,6 +719,85 @@ Estimating Phase 10 at ~2x the protocol surface of Phase 8.
 
 ---
 
+## 2026-05-04 — Phase 10: smart-LOB BLOB read via SQ_FILE / lotofile
+
+**Status**: active
+**Decision**: Implemented BLOB read end-to-end via the **`SQ_FILE` (98) protocol** rather than the heavier `SQ_FPROUTINE` (103) + `SQ_LODATA` (97) stack that the earlier Phase 9 entry estimated as 2x Phase 8. The actual implementation came in much smaller because we leveraged a server-side SQL function (`lotofile`) that orchestrates the byte transfer, with our driver acting as a remote filesystem.
+
+### The strategic pivot
+
+Initial estimate for Phase 10 was: implement `SQ_FPROUTINE` (RPC fast-path with UDT parameter marshaling) + `SQ_LODATA` (chunked transfer to/from open file descriptors). Both are big new wire-protocol surfaces.
+
+Then I discovered that `SELECT ifx_lo_open(blob_col, 4) FROM tbl` works as **regular SQL** — the server reads the locator from the column itself and passes it to the function, returning the file descriptor as an INT result. No client-side UDT marshaling needed. But that was a partial win — we'd still need `SQ_LODATA` for actually transferring the bytes after the open.
+
+Then I tried `SELECT lotofile(blob_col, '/path', 'client') FROM tbl` — and the server responded with `unexpected tag in FETCH response: 0x0062`. That tag is **`SQ_FILE`** — a *separate* protocol I hadn't recognized as relevant. Reading the JDBC source: `SQ_FILE` is the "remote filesystem" protocol where the server tells the client to act as a file server (open a path, accept these chunks, close). The bytes flow back to us automatically.
+
+The key insight: **`lotofile(...)` is a server-side function that orchestrates the entire transfer in one SQL statement**. The client doesn't need to do `ifx_lo_open` → `ifx_lo_read` → `ifx_lo_close`. Just write the SQL, intercept the `SQ_FILE` messages, return the bytes. Maybe 1/3 the protocol surface I'd planned.
+
+### Wire protocol — SQ_FILE (98)
+
+The server sends `SQ_FILE` messages with sub-types (per `IfxSqli.receiveSQFILE` line 4980):
+- **0 (open)**: `[short fnameLen][padded fname][int mode][int flags][int offset][short SQ_EOT]`. Client opens the named file. We respond with `[short SQ_EOT]`.
+- **3 (write to client)**: stream of `[short SQ_FILE_WRITE=107][short bufSize][padded data]` chunks, terminated by `SQ_EOT`. We respond with `[short 107][int totalBytesWritten][short SQ_EOT]`.
+- **1 (close)**: `[short SQ_EOT]`. We respond with `[short SQ_EOT]`.
+- (2 = read-from-client / `filetoblob` path; not implemented this phase.)
+
+Our implementation buffers writes in memory (`bytearray`) keyed by the requested filename; the bytes never touch disk. Users retrieve via `cursor.blob_files[filename]`.
+
+### Implementation: in-memory file emulation
+
+```python
+# In cursor state:
+self.blob_files: dict[str, bytes] = {}   # filename -> assembled bytes
+self._sqfile_current_name: str | None = None
+self._sqfile_current_buf: bytearray | None = None
+
+# In _read_fetch_response, when tag == 98:
+self._handle_sq_file(reader)
+```
+
+The handler dispatches by optype: open creates a fresh buffer, write extends it, close seals it into `blob_files`.
+
+### Bonus discovery: UDTVAR(lvarchar) row decoding
+
+`SELECT lotofile(...)` returns its result as **UDTVAR (type 40) with extended_name="lvarchar"** — not as plain LVARCHAR. The wire format is `[byte indicator][int length][bytes]` (vs. plain LVARCHAR's `[int length][bytes]`). Added a row-decoder branch that handles this — needed to surface the actual filename string instead of raw locator bytes.
+
+### High-level helper: `cursor.read_blob_column`
+
+For the common case "give me the bytes of column X from row matching Y", added a convenience method that wraps the user's SQL with `lotofile(...)` and returns the assembled bytes:
+
+```python
+data: bytes = cur.read_blob_column(
+    "SELECT data FROM photos WHERE id = ?", (42,)
+)
+```
+
+Naive SQL splitter that handles the common shape (single column, FROM clause). Power users can drop down to manual `lotofile` + `cur.blob_files[name]`.
+
+### Test coverage
+
+6 integration tests in `tests/test_smart_lob_read.py`:
+- Low-level `lotofile` + `blob_files` lookup
+- 30KB BLOB across multiple SQ_FILE_WRITE chunks
+- High-level `read_blob_column` simple case
+- `read_blob_column` returns `None` when no rows match
+- High-level helper for 30KB BLOB
+- `read_blob_column` validation (rejects non-SELECT and FROM-less SQL)
+
+Total project tests: **64 unit + 117 integration = 181 tests**.
+
+### What's still deferred (Phase 11+)
+
+- **Smart-LOB write**: `INSERT INTO tbl VALUES (?, ?)` with a `bytes` BLOB parameter still requires the full `SQ_FPROUTINE` + `SQ_LODATA` stack to invoke `ifx_lo_create` + write chunks. There's no `lotofromfile_client(bytes)` SQL function with the same shape as `lotofile`.
+- **`BlobLocator.read(connection)`**: an OO API would be nice but requires reverse-mapping a locator back to its source — which the `SQ_FPROUTINE` path does naturally, but the `lotofile` path does not.
+- **`filetoblob` path**: server-as-reader (SQ_FILE optype 2) — for streaming files from client to server.
+
+### Lesson
+
+**Don't estimate protocol-implementation cost from JDBC's class hierarchy alone.** JDBC's `IfxSmBlob` class is 600+ lines and looks like a massive surface, but the actual *wire-level* read path can be reduced to a single SQL function (`lotofile`) plus one new tag handler (`SQ_FILE`). When estimating, look at the wire trace, not the client SDK abstractions. The wire is often simpler than the SDK suggests.
+
+---
+
 ## (template — copy below this line for new entries)
 
 ```

src/informix_db/_resultset.py

@@ -289,8 +289,7 @@ def parse_tuple_payload(
         # these as UDTFIXED (type 41) with extended_id 10 (BLOB) or 11
         # (CLOB) and encoded_length = 72 (locator size). The 72 bytes
         # we read here are an opaque server-side reference, NOT the
-        # actual data. To fetch bytes, the client must call ``ifx_lo_open``
+        # actual data. Phase 10 lets users fetch via lotofile + SQ_FILE.
-        # via SQ_FPROUTINE then SQ_LODATA(LO_READ) — deferred to Phase 10.
         if base == int(IfxType.UDTFIXED) and col.extended_id in (10, 11):
             from .converters import BlobLocator, ClobLocator
             width = col.encoded_length
@@ -300,6 +299,30 @@ def parse_tuple_payload(
             values.append(cls(raw=bytes(raw)))
             continue
 
+        # UDTVAR (type 40) with extended_name="lvarchar": this is what
+        # functions like ``lotofile`` return — a length-prefixed string
+        # wrapped as a UDT. The wire format adds a 1-byte indicator
+        # prefix BEFORE the LVARCHAR ``[int len][bytes]``. Empirically
+        # verified against ``SELECT lotofile(...)`` row data — the
+        # leading ``00`` is null indicator (0=not null, 1=null per UDT
+        # convention).
+        if base == int(IfxType.UDTVAR) and col.extended_name == "lvarchar":
+            indicator = payload[offset]
+            offset += 1
+            if indicator == 1:
+                values.append(None)
+                continue
+            length = int.from_bytes(
+                payload[offset:offset + 4], "big", signed=True
+            )
+            offset += 4
+            raw = payload[offset:offset + length]
+            offset += length
+            if length & 1:
+                offset += 1
+            values.append(raw.decode("iso-8859-1"))
+            continue
+
         # Fixed-width types
         width = FIXED_WIDTHS.get(base)
         if width is None:

src/informix_db/cursors.py

@@ -93,6 +93,15 @@ class Cursor:
         # from. Empirically the server accepts 0 here even when a real
         # ID was assigned, so this is best-effort tracking.
         self._statement_id: int = 0
+        # Phase 10: smart-LOB read via ``lotofile(col, path, 'client')``.
+        # The server orchestrates a SQ_FILE (98) protocol where it tells
+        # us to "open file X, write these bytes, close". We emulate the
+        # filesystem in memory — the bytes are buffered keyed by the
+        # filename the server requested. Users can retrieve them via
+        # ``cursor.blob_files[path]`` after the SELECT completes.
+        self.blob_files: dict[str, bytes] = {}
+        self._sqfile_current_name: str | None = None
+        self._sqfile_current_buf: bytearray | None = None
 
     # -- PEP 249 attributes ------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -250,6 +259,153 @@ class Cursor:
             new_rows.append(tuple(row_list))
         self._rows = new_rows
 
+    def read_blob_column(
+        self,
+        select_blob_sql: str,
+        params: tuple = (),
+        *,
+        sentinel: str = "/tmp/_informix_db_blob",
+    ) -> bytes | None:
+        """Fetch the bytes of a single smart-LOB BLOB column.
+
+        Wraps the user's SQL with ``lotofile(<col>, sentinel, 'client')``,
+        runs the query, and returns the bytes assembled from the SQ_FILE
+        stream. Returns ``None`` if the row's BLOB value is NULL or if
+        no rows match.
+
+        Phase 10 implements this via the SQ_FILE protocol — the server
+        writes the BLOB content to a "file" on the client side and
+        we intercept those writes into an in-memory buffer. This avoids
+        implementing the heavier SQ_FPROUTINE + SQ_LODATA stack.
+
+        Caveat: ``select_blob_sql`` must be a SELECT statement returning
+        exactly one BLOB-typed column. For multi-row reads, call this
+        method per row (e.g., add a ``WHERE`` clause to scope to one row).
+        For more general use, run the wrapped SQL yourself and inspect
+        ``self.blob_files``.
+
+        Example::
+
+            data = cur.read_blob_column(
+                "SELECT data FROM photos WHERE id = ?", (42,)
+            )
+        """
+        # Find the column expression — drop "SELECT " prefix
+        sql = select_blob_sql.strip()
+        upper = sql.upper()
+        if not upper.startswith("SELECT"):
+            raise ProgrammingError(
+                "read_blob_column requires a SELECT statement"
+            )
+        rest = sql[6:].lstrip()  # everything after SELECT
+        # Find the FROM keyword (whitespace-bounded). Naive split — works
+        # for the common case where the user is selecting a single column.
+        from_idx = rest.upper().find(" FROM ")
+        if from_idx < 0:
+            raise ProgrammingError(
+                "read_blob_column requires a FROM clause"
+            )
+        col_expr = rest[:from_idx].strip()
+        tail = rest[from_idx:]
+        wrapped_sql = (
+            f"SELECT lotofile({col_expr}, '{sentinel}', 'client'){tail}"
+        )
+        # Reset blob_files so we only see the one we just fetched
+        self.blob_files = {}
+        self.execute(wrapped_sql, params)
+        row = self.fetchone()
+        if row is None:
+            return None
+        # Server returns a generated filename based on the sentinel
+        if not self.blob_files:
+            return None
+        # If user only fetched one row, the dict has one entry
+        return next(iter(self.blob_files.values()))
+
+    def _handle_sq_file(self, reader: IfxStreamReader) -> None:
+        """Process an SQ_FILE (98) message from the server.
+
+        The server treats us as a remote filesystem: it tells us to
+        "open file X, write these bytes, close". We emulate the
+        filesystem in memory — chunks land in ``self._sqfile_current_buf``
+        keyed by ``self._sqfile_current_name``, then sealed into
+        ``self.blob_files`` on close.
+
+        Sub-types (per ``IfxSqli.receiveSQFILE`` line 4980):
+          - 0 (open): ``[short fnameLen][bytes fname][int mode][int flags]
+              [int offset][short SQ_EOT]``. We acknowledge with
+              ``[short SQ_EOT]``.
+          - 3 (write to client): ``[short SQ_FILE_WRITE=107][short bufSize]
+              [padded data]`` repeated, terminated by ``SQ_EOT``. We
+              respond with ``[short 107][int totalSize][short SQ_EOT]``.
+          - 1 (close): ``[short SQ_EOT]``. We respond with ``[short SQ_EOT]``.
+          - 2 (read from client): unimplemented (would be filetoblob path).
+        """
+        optype = reader.read_short()
+        if optype == 0:  # open
+            name_len = reader.read_short()
+            fname_bytes = reader.read_exact(name_len)
+            if name_len & 1:
+                reader.read_exact(1)  # readPadded pad
+            fname = fname_bytes.decode("iso-8859-1")
+            reader.read_int()  # mode (ignored — we're in-memory)
+            reader.read_int()  # flags (ignored)
+            reader.read_int()  # offset (ignored — start at 0)
+            tail = reader.read_short()
+            if tail != MessageType.SQ_EOT:
+                raise DatabaseError(
+                    f"SQ_FILE open: expected SQ_EOT, got 0x{tail:04x}"
+                )
+            self._sqfile_current_name = fname
+            self._sqfile_current_buf = bytearray()
+            # Acknowledge with bare SQ_EOT (mirrors JDBC's flip() flush)
+            self._conn._send_pdu(
+                struct.pack("!h", MessageType.SQ_EOT)
+            )
+        elif optype == 3:  # write to client
+            total = 0
+            while True:
+                chunk_tag = reader.read_short()
+                if chunk_tag == MessageType.SQ_EOT:
+                    break
+                if chunk_tag != MessageType.SQ_FILE_WRITE:  # 107
+                    raise DatabaseError(
+                        f"SQ_FILE write: unexpected tag 0x{chunk_tag:04x}"
+                    )
+                buf_size = reader.read_short()
+                data = reader.read_exact(buf_size)
+                if buf_size & 1:
+                    reader.read_exact(1)  # writePadded pad
+                if self._sqfile_current_buf is not None:
+                    self._sqfile_current_buf.extend(data)
+                total += buf_size
+            # Respond with [short 107][int totalSize][short SQ_EOT]
+            self._conn._send_pdu(
+                struct.pack(
+                    "!hih", MessageType.SQ_FILE_WRITE, total, MessageType.SQ_EOT
+                )
+            )
+        elif optype == 1:  # close
+            tail = reader.read_short()
+            if tail != MessageType.SQ_EOT:
+                raise DatabaseError(
+                    f"SQ_FILE close: expected SQ_EOT, got 0x{tail:04x}"
+                )
+            if self._sqfile_current_name is not None and self._sqfile_current_buf is not None:
+                self.blob_files[self._sqfile_current_name] = bytes(
+                    self._sqfile_current_buf
+                )
+            self._sqfile_current_name = None
+            self._sqfile_current_buf = None
+            self._conn._send_pdu(
+                struct.pack("!h", MessageType.SQ_EOT)
+            )
+        else:
+            raise DatabaseError(
+                f"SQ_FILE: unsupported optype {optype} (0=open, 1=close, "
+                f"2=read-from-client, 3=write-to-client; 2 is unimplemented)"
+            )
+
     def _fetch_blob(self, descriptor: bytes) -> bytes:
         """Send SQ_FETCHBLOB and read the SQ_BLOB stream until terminator."""
         writer, buf = make_pdu_writer()
@@ -690,6 +846,8 @@ class Cursor:
                 reader.read_int()
             elif tag == MessageType.SQ_XACTSTAT:
                 reader.read_exact(2 + 2 + 2)
+            elif tag == 98:  # SQ_FILE — server orchestrates a file transfer
+                self._handle_sq_file(reader)
             elif tag == MessageType.SQ_ERR:
                 self._raise_sq_err(reader)
             else:

tests/test_smart_lob_read.py

@@ -0,0 +1,227 @@
+"""Phase 10 integration tests — smart-LOB BLOB read via SQ_FILE / lotofile.
+
+Smart-LOB BLOBs return only a 72-byte locator in SELECT row data (Phase 9).
+Phase 10 lets users retrieve the actual bytes via the
+``lotofile(blob_col, '/tmp/X', 'client')`` SQL function — the server
+orchestrates a ``SQ_FILE`` (98) protocol round-trip where the bytes
+flow back over the wire and we intercept them in memory.
+
+Three APIs are exposed:
+  - ``cursor.execute("SELECT lotofile(...) FROM ...")`` followed by
+    ``cursor.blob_files[filename]`` for the low-level path.
+  - ``cursor.read_blob_column(sql, params)`` convenience wrapper.
+
+Test data is seeded via the JDBC reference client because writing
+smart-LOBs from our driver still requires the deferred SQ_FPROUTINE
++ SQ_LODATA stack.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import contextlib
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+from collections.abc import Iterator
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+import informix_db
+from tests.conftest import ConnParams
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.integration
+
+
+def _connect(params: ConnParams) -> informix_db.Connection:
+    return informix_db.connect(
+        host=params.host,
+        port=params.port,
+        user=params.user,
+        password=params.password,
+        database=params.database,
+        server=params.server,
+        connect_timeout=10.0,
+        read_timeout=10.0,
+        autocommit=True,
+    )
+
+
+def _java_available() -> bool:
+    return (
+        shutil.which("java") is not None
+        and Path("build/ifxjdbc.jar").exists()
+    )
+
+
+def _seed_blob(table: str, payload: bytes) -> None:
+    """Use JDBC to seed a BLOB row (since smart-LOB write needs Phase 11)."""
+    helper_dir = Path("build/tests/reference")
+    helper_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    src_path = Path("/tmp/p10/tests/reference/SeedBlob.java")
+    src_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    src_path.write_text(
+        'package tests.reference;\n'
+        'import java.sql.*;\n'
+        'import java.io.*;\n'
+        'import java.util.Base64;\n'
+        'public class SeedBlob {\n'
+        '    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {\n'
+        '        String table = args[0];\n'
+        '        byte[] payload = Base64.getDecoder().decode(args[1]);\n'
+        '        Class.forName("com.informix.jdbc.IfxDriver");\n'
+        '        try (Connection c = DriverManager.getConnection(\n'
+        '             "jdbc:informix-sqli://127.0.0.1:9088/testdb:INFORMIXSERVER=informix",\n'
+        '             "informix", "in4mix")) {\n'
+        '            c.setAutoCommit(true);\n'
+        '            try (Statement s = c.createStatement()) {\n'
+        '                try { s.execute("DROP TABLE " + table); } catch (Exception e) {}\n'
+        '                s.execute("CREATE TABLE " + table + " (id INT, data BLOB)");\n'
+        '            }\n'
+        '            try (PreparedStatement ps = c.prepareStatement(\n'
+        '                    "INSERT INTO " + table + " VALUES (1, ?)")) {\n'
+        '                ps.setBytes(1, payload);\n'
+        '                ps.executeUpdate();\n'
+        '            }\n'
+        '        }\n'
+        '    }\n'
+        '}\n'
+    )
+    subprocess.run(
+        ["javac", "-cp", "build/ifxjdbc.jar", "-d", "build/", str(src_path)],
+        check=True, capture_output=True,
+    )
+    import base64
+    subprocess.run(
+        [
+            "java", "-cp", "build/ifxjdbc.jar:build/",
+            "tests.reference.SeedBlob",
+            table, base64.b64encode(payload).decode(),
+        ],
+        check=True, capture_output=True,
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def small_blob(logged_db_params: ConnParams) -> Iterator[str]:
+    """A BLOB table seeded with a small payload."""
+    if not _java_available():
+        pytest.skip("JDBC reference client unavailable")
+    table = "p10_small"
+    payload = b"hello phase 10 lotofile"
+    _seed_blob(table, payload)
+    try:
+        yield table
+    finally:
+        with _connect(logged_db_params) as conn:
+            cur = conn.cursor()
+            with contextlib.suppress(Exception):
+                cur.execute(f"DROP TABLE {table}")
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def big_blob(logged_db_params: ConnParams) -> Iterator[tuple[str, bytes]]:
+    """A BLOB table seeded with a multi-chunk (>1KB) payload."""
+    if not _java_available():
+        pytest.skip("JDBC reference client unavailable")
+    table = "p10_big"
+    # 30000 bytes — spans many SQ_FILE_WRITE chunks
+    payload = (b"X" * 10_000) + (b"Y" * 10_000) + (b"Z" * 10_000)
+    _seed_blob(table, payload)
+    try:
+        yield table, payload
+    finally:
+        with _connect(logged_db_params) as conn:
+            cur = conn.cursor()
+            with contextlib.suppress(Exception):
+                cur.execute(f"DROP TABLE {table}")
+
+
+# -------- Low-level lotofile + blob_files --------
+
+
+def test_lotofile_low_level(
+    logged_db_params: ConnParams, small_blob: str
+) -> None:
+    """``SELECT lotofile(...)`` populates ``cursor.blob_files``."""
+    with _connect(logged_db_params) as conn:
+        cur = conn.cursor()
+        cur.execute(
+            f"SELECT lotofile(data, '/tmp/test_low', 'client') "
+            f"FROM {small_blob}"
+        )
+        # The result column is the actual filename the server used
+        # (with a generated suffix). The bytes were captured via SQ_FILE.
+        (fname,) = cur.fetchone()
+        assert fname.startswith("/tmp/test_low.")
+        assert fname in cur.blob_files
+        assert cur.blob_files[fname] == b"hello phase 10 lotofile"
+
+
+def test_lotofile_multichunk(
+    logged_db_params: ConnParams, big_blob: tuple[str, bytes]
+) -> None:
+    """30KB BLOB read across multiple SQ_FILE_WRITE chunks."""
+    table, payload = big_blob
+    with _connect(logged_db_params) as conn:
+        cur = conn.cursor()
+        cur.execute(
+            f"SELECT lotofile(data, '/tmp/test_big', 'client') FROM {table}"
+        )
+        cur.fetchone()
+        captured = next(iter(cur.blob_files.values()))
+        assert len(captured) == 30_000
+        assert captured == payload
+
+
+# -------- High-level read_blob_column helper --------
+
+
+def test_read_blob_column_simple(
+    logged_db_params: ConnParams, small_blob: str
+) -> None:
+    """``cursor.read_blob_column`` returns the BLOB bytes directly."""
+    with _connect(logged_db_params) as conn:
+        cur = conn.cursor()
+        data = cur.read_blob_column(
+            f"SELECT data FROM {small_blob} WHERE id = ?", (1,)
+        )
+        assert data == b"hello phase 10 lotofile"
+
+
+def test_read_blob_column_no_match(
+    logged_db_params: ConnParams, small_blob: str
+) -> None:
+    """When the WHERE clause matches no rows, returns None."""
+    with _connect(logged_db_params) as conn:
+        cur = conn.cursor()
+        data = cur.read_blob_column(
+            f"SELECT data FROM {small_blob} WHERE id = ?", (9999,)
+        )
+        assert data is None
+
+
+def test_read_blob_column_big(
+    logged_db_params: ConnParams, big_blob: tuple[str, bytes]
+) -> None:
+    """30KB BLOB via the convenience helper."""
+    table, payload = big_blob
+    with _connect(logged_db_params) as conn:
+        cur = conn.cursor()
+        data = cur.read_blob_column(
+            f"SELECT data FROM {table} WHERE id = ?", (1,)
+        )
+        assert data == payload
+
+
+def test_read_blob_column_validates_select(
+    logged_db_params: ConnParams, small_blob: str
+) -> None:
+    """``read_blob_column`` rejects non-SELECT statements."""
+    with _connect(logged_db_params) as conn:
+        cur = conn.cursor()
+        with pytest.raises(informix_db.ProgrammingError, match="SELECT"):
+            cur.read_blob_column(
+                f"DELETE FROM {small_blob}", ()
+            )
+        with pytest.raises(informix_db.ProgrammingError, match="FROM"):
+            cur.read_blob_column("SELECT 1", ())