Monitoring and Supporting
Data conversion
What is data conversion?
• The process of translating data from one format to another.
• It is a critical step in the process of data integration.
• This step enables the data to be read, altered, and executed
in an application or database other than that in which it was
created.
What is data conversion?
• A typical example of data conversion is
• In order to play a music or video file on a mobile device, the file
needs to be converted
• from its source format (such as an MKV file) to one that can be
read by the device (such as an MP4 file).
• That is MKV to MP4, MP4 to Mp3
What is data conversion is not?
• Data conversion is often confused with processes
known as
• data migration
• data transformation
• data cleansing
What is data conversion is not?
• Data migration:
• Transfers entire databases or programs from one location
to another.
• Data migration often entails data conversion, data
transformation, and/or data cleansing.
What is data conversion is not?
• Data transformation:
• Changes the data presentation.
• A common data transformation process is to condense the
data.
What is data conversion is not?
• Data transformation:
• Changes the data presentation.
• A common data transformation process is to condense the
data.
What is data conversion is not?
• Data cleansing:
• Finds and corrects inaccurate, repeated, and incomplete
data.
• This procedure often occurs after a data conversion, data
transformation, or data migration process.
Types of data that can be converted
• The first step to data conversion is to understand the different types
of data you can convert.
• All programmatic languages rely on data types that tell the compiler
or interpreter how to use the data.
• The data type determines the operations that can be performed on
the data and defines the structure in which the data is to be stored.
Types of data that can be converted
• Most data types can be converted. Here are just a few of many examples:
• Compiler languages (C language versus Java, for example)
• Code pages (character/symbol sets) that are language specific (English versus
Spanish, for example)
• Code pages that are specific to operating systems (ASCII versus EBCDIC, for example)
• Document types, including different text, audio, and video file formats
• Database (MSSQL to MYSQL)
Types of data that can be converted
• Most data types can be converted. Here are just a few of many examples:
• Compiler languages (C language versus Java, for example)
• Code pages (character/symbol sets) that are language specific (English versus
Spanish, for example)
• Code pages that are specific to operating systems (ASCII versus EBCDIC, for example)
• Document types, including different text, audio, and video file formats
• Database (MSSQL to MYSQL)
