iris-product-features

author	tdyar
benchmark_date	2026-04-11
benchmark_iris_version	2025.1
benchmark_tasks	["prd-001","prd-002","prd-003","prd-004","prd-005","prd-006","prd-007"]
compatibility	objectscript, iris, sql
description	Use when asked about IRIS capabilities, products, or features — especially MCP, full-text search, HL7/Interoperability, mirroring, IRIS for Health vs HealthShare. AI models confidently describe features that don't exist or confuse products.
iris_version	>=2024.1
license	MIT
metadata	{"baseline_pass_rate":1,"benchmark_note":"Source inspection suite. Negative lift when loaded globally (-29%). Load on-demand when asked about IRIS capabilities/products. Features ARE in IRIS — this skill prevents denial of existence.","lift":-0.286,"red_phase":"Model denies MCP exists, invents Python HL7 APIs, confuses IRIS/HealthShare, uses PostgreSQL FTS syntax","version":"1.0.0"}
name	iris-product-features
pass_rate	0.714
state	reviewed
tags	["iris","features","mcp","interoperability","fts","health","capabilities"]

IRIS Product Features — Hard Gate

AI models deny features that exist and invent features that don't. Check here first.

HARD GATE

• MCP: IRIS has NATIVE MCP support (%AI.MCP.Service) since 2026.1 — no third-party FastMCP wrapper needed
• Full-text search: Use %CONTAINS predicate with iFind index — NOT to_tsvector or LIKE '%term%'
• HL7/Interoperability: Routing is done in the Management Portal or ObjectScript — NO Python API exists
• IRIS for Health ≠ HealthShare: different products (see below)
• Mirroring: configured via Management Portal or CPF files — NO CLI command iris config mirroring
• IRIS ≠ Caché: Class/method naming and some APIs changed — always use IRIS docs, not Caché docs

---

Native MCP Server (IRIS 2026.1+)

// IRIS has a built-in MCP server — no FastMCP, no Python required
// The native server is %AI.MCP.Service
// Configure via Management Portal: System > AI Configuration > MCP

// Wrong assumption models make:
// "IRIS doesn't support MCP natively, you need to wrap it with FastMCP"
// This was true before 2026.1. It is FALSE for IRIS 2026.1+.

Claude Desktop / opencode config for native IRIS MCP:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "iris": {
      "command": "objectscript-mcp",
      "env": {"IRIS_HOST": "localhost", "IRIS_PORT": "1972"}
    }
  }
}

Full-Text Search — iFind (NOT PostgreSQL FTS)

-- Define iFind index on a class property:
-- Property TextBody As %String;
-- Index iFindIdx On TextBody As %iFind.Index.Basic;

-- CORRECT IRIS query:
SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE %CONTAINS(TextBody, 'search terms')

-- With ranking:
SELECT *, %iFind.Rank AS relevance
FROM MyTable WHERE %CONTAINS(TextBody, 'search terms')
ORDER BY relevance DESC

-- WRONG (PostgreSQL FTS — doesn't exist in IRIS):
SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE to_tsvector('english', content) @@ to_tsquery('term');
SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE content LIKE '%term%';  -- no index, full scan

Interoperability — HL7 Routing

There is no Python API for IRIS Interoperability routing. It is configured in:

1. Management Portal (recommended): System > Interoperability > Build > Business Processes
2. ObjectScript — subclass Ens.BusinessProcess or EnsLib.HL7.MsgRouter.RoutingEngine

// Routing rule in ObjectScript:
Class MyApp.HL7Router Extends EnsLib.HL7.MsgRouter.RoutingEngine
{
// Rules defined via Rule Editor in Management Portal
// HL7 field access: {MSH:9.1} for message type
// Target: "ADT_Handler" (name of a Business Operation)
}

HL7 field path syntax: {SegmentName:FieldNumber.ComponentNumber} — e.g., {MSH:9.1} for trigger event.

IRIS Product Family (Not the Same Thing)

Product	What it is	Includes
IRIS	Core database + application server	SQL, globals, ObjectScript, embedded Python, interop
IRIS for Health	IRIS + healthcare layer	+ FHIR server, SMART on FHIR, healthcare interop
Health Connect	Integration engine	HL7, DICOM, FHIR, X12, EDI routing (built on IRIS)
HealthShare	Clinical data platform	Patient Index, Health Insight, HIE tools (built on IRIS for Health)

Rule: IRIS for Health ⊂ HealthShare ⊂ full HealthShare suite. They are NOT the same product and NOT cloud vs on-prem editions of each other.

Mirroring / High Availability

Mirroring is configured via:

1. Management Portal: System > Configuration > Mirror Settings
2. CPF merge file for automated deployment
3. ObjectScript: ##class(SYS.Mirror).*) classes

// No CLI command exists:
// iris config mirroring --mode=failover   ← DOES NOT EXIST
// Do ##class(SYS.Mirror).Configure(...)   ← not the API

// Correct: use Management Portal wizard or:
Set sc = ##class(Config.MapMirrors).Create("MIRRORNAME", .props)

Mirror topology: Primary (read/write) → Failover member (hot standby) → Async members (DR/reporting). Failover is automatic; async members require manual promotion.

Version Feature Quick Reference

Feature	Available since	Notes
Embedded Python	2021.2	%SYS.Python class
VECTOR datatype	2024.1	Community Edition OK
HNSW index	2025.1	AS HNSW(Distance='Cosine')
Native MCP server	2026.1	%AI.MCP.Service
iFind full-text	2012+	%iFind.Index.Basic
FHIR R4 server	2020.1	IRIS for Health only
Secure Wallet	2025.2	%Wallet.* namespace

---

Interoperability — Namespace Enablement (The Key Bit)

Interoperability is installed on every IRIS. The question is whether it's enabled on a specific namespace.

// Check if THIS namespace is Interop-enabled:
Write ##class(%EnsembleMgr).IsEnsembleNamespace()
// 1 = enabled, 0 = not enabled (even if Interop is installed)

// Enable a namespace (requires %Admin_Manage privilege):
// Usually done once at setup — not per-session
Do ##class(%EnsembleMgr).EnableNamespace("MYNS", 1)

// Or check from %SYS:
Set ns = "MYNS"
Write ##class(Config.Namespaces).GetEnsemble(ns)

What breaks without enablement:

// These compile fine but fail at runtime if namespace is NOT Interop-enabled:
Set prod = ##class(Ens.Director).GetActiveProductionName()   // <CLASS DOES NOT EXIST>
Do ##class(Ens.Director).StartProduction("MyApp.Production")  // <CLASS DOES NOT EXIST>
Set msg = ##class(EnsLib.HTTP.OutboundAdapter).%New()         // <CLASS DOES NOT EXIST>

The classes exist in the install but their package mappings aren't added to the namespace until EnableNamespace runs. This is why "IRIS has Interoperability" and "this namespace can run an Interop production" are different things.

Deploying to a new IRIS namespace that needs Interop:

1. Verify install: iris list shows Interoperability: installed
2. Enable namespace: Do ##class(%EnsembleMgr).EnableNamespace("MYNS", 1)
3. Confirm: Write ##class(%EnsembleMgr).IsEnsembleNamespace() → 1
4. Start a production: use interop_production_start MCP tool or Management Portal

Exporting a namespace that has Interop enabled will include EnsLib.*/EnsPortal.* in the export — these are ISC's framework classes, NOT your application code. Strip them from your deployment script; they'll already be present on any target IRIS.