The process of converting information from one form to another is known as data conversion. While the notion may appear simple, information translation is a critical stage in data integration. This phase allows the information to be retrieved, changed, and operated in a different program or database than the one in which it was produced.
For example, if your network employs multiple data storage mechanisms, or if your company wants to connect with networks or users that display data in multiple character/symbol combinations, you’ll require a data translation procedure. The visuals we watch on television are an aspect of data conversion.
Problems with data conversion
When transferring data across systems, there are various data conversion difficulties. Operating systems have specific alignment criteria that will result in programming exceptions when these conditions are not met. Converting documents to another form can be tricky since it is dependent on how a document is prepared. These are just a few instances of conversion issues.
IBM suggests the following methods for avoiding data translation issues in its documentation:
- Always convert objects, including numerical information, into readable character data types.
- Create an operating system-independent format for an item converted to a primary data type.
- Include enough header data in the changed data type so that the rest of the coded object can be understood appropriately regardless of the operating system.
Data conversion is frequently the most critical aspect of data migration. To ensure data integrity in your objective system, you must exercise thorough caution throughout this step.
The advantages and disadvantages of data conversion
Data transformation has various advantages:
- Data is altered to improve its organization. Converted data might be simpler to utilize for both people & computers.
- Data that has been appropriately prepared and verified enhances data quality & protects programs from possible pitfalls like null numbers, unexpected duplication, inaccurate indexing, & incompatible formats.
- Data transformation enables interoperability between programs, systems, & data Entry Services. Data used for several purposes may require different kinds of transformation.
There are certain obstacles to correctly converting data, which are as follows:
- Data transformation may be costly. The price is determined by the infrastructure, technology, and methods used to analyze data. This may include expenses for licensing, computer resources and recruiting appropriate employees.
- Data transformation operations may be time-consuming and expensive. Altering information in an on-premises database system after it has been loaded, or transforming the data before it is fed into applications, might generate a computational load that delays other activities. Since the system can grow to match the need, you can conduct the changes after importing if you utilize a cloud-based database system.
- Inadequate skills and carelessness might cause issues during change. Data analysts are less likely to spot errors or inaccurate data because they may be lacking in subject matter knowledge of precise and acceptable numbers. For example, someone operating on medical information but unacquainted with relevant terminologies may fail to indicate illness names that must be transformed to a unique value, or spot misspellings.
- Enterprises may carry out makeovers that do not meet their requirements. A company may convert information to a particular form for one app and need to restore the information to its original format for another.
Services for Data Conversion
Data conversions are often simple and can be carried out whether as an ETL (Extract, Transform and Load) transformation or inside the source-to-target mappings program. Most Data Conversion Services occur as data that is collected from data sources and put into a DW (Data Warehouse). The following are some scenarios in which data conversions are required:
- The data types in the source system are mismatched with those in the destination database.
- A specific column may be populated by many data sources with various data kinds.
- A data source field may have numerous codes merged into an ‘intelligent’ key, which must be separated.
- The BI (Business Intelligence) environment has established column standards for data kinds which must be maintained.
The purpose of data conversion is to eliminate loss of information or distortion by preserving the quality of the information and associated structures. This is a simple process if the target format provides the same characteristics & data formats as the original data. If the original encoding is not recognized, organizations must transform the format & structure appropriately and entirely to read, edit, and analyze data. Failing to transform data correctly might result in an erroneous and incomplete dataset that might take many months to repair. Furthermore, you may be executing business choices based on incorrect data, which can severely impact the company’s fundamentals.