In lots of businesses, across many fields, data conversion software is a main aspect of keeping your ducks in a row for IT. The jobs accomplished by successful data conversion software solutions include file backup, migration to new platforms, increased ease of use for user applications and portability. That's why data conversion gurus are very sought after these days.

For a business looking to train staff, or an individual looking for a skill set and certification, the web offers useful options for getting into advanced data conversion applications and techniques, whether the goal is to back up data, to migrate it into advanced use applications, or to otherwise manipulate the data assets of a company or business. Readers can find:

1. Links to data conversion program options from schools across the country that will build a skill set for the market.

2. Outside training from firms or associations with data conversion software programs for skill sets and certifications.

3. More training materials and resources for learning about software for data conversion independently.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find links to data conversion software schools

Many schools offer programs in diverse kinds of data conversion software for students who want to offer these skill sets to the marketplace. Look for specialized data migration or data recovery options or any other particular skill that is in demand.

I recommend: Find programs for learning about data conversion software at school departments like Hampton's DCML (Data Conversion and Management Lab) for jobs like formatting AutoCAD and more. Locate more courses on data conversion and similar IT aspects at schools like Columbus Tech online.

Find more data conversion software training from other sources

Additional data conversion tools training can be found from online sites linking to companies offering education in how to do data conversion with specific software programs. Check for specific applications that fit the student's needs.

I recommend: Get online data conversion training with modules like this data migration exercise from Simotime, "When Technology Complements Business." For more, try sites like the Data Conversion Certification and Training options at Training-Classes.com.

Locate additional info on data conversion software from public web spaces

Other info on data conversion software is on sites like blogs or public forums, where individuals post about data file conversion practices and where readers can learn some practical methodology.

I recommend: Find tips on conversion of data types with software tools at personal blog sites like Zoli's Blog. Find more data conversion blogs from link from WordPress. Or, for first-hand comments on this kind of process, try the forums at Programmer's Heaven.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Your data conversion software education and training can take you to new heights in being valuable to a firm or company. Try to anticipate what the needs of potential employers will be, then acquire these skills and market them.

Data conversion software can help make transitioning from one software system to another one easier. Between retraining your employees and ensuring that your hardware is up to speed, the process can quickly become a nightmare. And that nightmare has only begun when you start to map out your conversion of data. There are several data conversion applications on the market that can help you.

By utilizing specific software for transferring data from your old system to your new, you're able to eliminate a lot of the labor that was once typical for data conversions. Your IT team used to need weeks to map every type of data in your old system to its new home, and often had to design a custom data converter, used once and then discarded. With the many options available to you today in commercial software for data conversion, your IT team's time and effort can now be better spent on ensuring that your new system is 100% ready to use.

When choosing your next piece of data conversion software, among the key points to consider are:

1. The timeframe under which you can execute your data conversion utility software.

2. The format of your software and data for conversion.

3. The level of expertise amongst your IT team in data conversion and program design.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Don't select a data converter at the last second

Data conversion is often an afterthought when launching a new system; everyone instead focuses on the new software and how to make it as strong as possible. While this is great, it will all be for naught if you can't access your historical data without opening your old system. Be sure to include your data conversion utility software planning in as early a step in your system design as possible.

I recommend: Adeptia Data Transformation Server includes 3 distinct components, including a Design Studio that can be used early in your system design process.

Research if your data conversion software can handle the type of historical data you're moving

The ability of modern data conversion tools to handle your historical data can often depend on when your former software program was written. The older your software, the more difficult it is for one of today's data conversion applications to handle it smoothly. Therefore, it's critical to know the type of data you have on hand as well as how it's stored in your system.

I recommend: Altova MapForce allows conversion of data types including XML, database, flat file and EDI. AdventNet SwisSQL maps data across a variety of standard database schemas.

Tailor your choice of software for data conversion to your IT team's expertise level

While it would be ideal if your entire IT team was thoroughly knowledgeable on how to enact a successful data conversion effort, the truth is that this is not likely. Instead, you should focus on finding a data conversion program that allows your team to focus on the part they know best--the data itself--and takes care of the difficult part of the conversion of data on its own.

I recommend: Astera's Centerprise Integration Studio utilizes data transfer wizards to make the conversion as smooth as possible.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure to include some of your employees and end-users in your data file conversion design. They'll be best able to tell you what data is essential to transfer and what data can be left behind.

Upgrading to a new computer system? Don't forget about the old one just yet. You'll want to make sure your important data is securely transferred into the new system. Data conversion software can help you get the job done. Just make sure that the software is compatible with both systems so there aren't any glitches.

To help you choose a software program that best suits your needs, determine what features you will need. The following key terms may help.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Data conversion

Data conversion is simply the act of changing data from one form to another. Software options exist to help you perform this task, but sometimes there is no easy way to do a data conversion. In these cases, some formatting and other data characteristics may be lost during conversion.

I recommend: Review this PC Magazine definition and example of how data conversion software works.

Data transformation

Transforming data means that one set of data is changed to a different schema in the same category. Software programs use a series of programming queries to transform the data.

I recommend: Check out this tutorial on data transformation from BEA WebLogic Workshop.

Pivot transformation

Pivot transformation refers to a specific way software can convert data. For example, in a pivot transformation an ordered column list is compressed and made into a single line of data.

I recommend: See a Microsoft example of how pivot transformation in data conversion works with a customer list.

Data migration

Even though you may be performing a data conversion between similar systems, data migration can help keep large volumes of data from being lost. Data migration refers to the actual moving of data from one system to the next.

I recommend: Log on to Infotech.net for more information, including diagrams, explaining data migration.

Data integration

Data integration refers to a process used to combine data from many different sources while at the same time keeping the data secure and reliable.

I recommend: Read through this Information Management and SourceMedia article for more information on the forms of data integration.

Parallel processing or parallel computing

Parallel processing, also called multi-processing or parallel computing, is when two or more computer systems run at the same time to perform a function. Data conversion takes place through this coordinated use of dual systems.

I recommend: This O'Reilly & Associates article not only gives a solid definition of parallel processing but relates it to a grocery store scenario.