Definition: data conversion

Data conversion means changing the data in one file format to another format. Known as "exporting," applications may be able to save their data to more than one file format and thus do the data conversion automatically. However, there are many stand-alone data conversion programs that support a wide variety of formats.

A Neutral Format
If an application cannot export to the desired format the user needs, it may be able to export to a neutral format such as regular text (export to ASCII text) or text fields separated by commas (see CSV). However, in these cases, page formats and macros are lost in the conversion.

If there is no export function or stand-alone conversion program available, the only recourse is to have a custom conversion program written from scratch. If the format is rare, there may be no written documentation available, and custom conversion may be tedious and expensive. See ASCII file, CloudConvert and conversion.

Save As Formats

Microsoft Word can save documents in various formats as in this example. Notice the Plain Text option.

A Conversion Program

This earlier DataViz conversion program supported many file formats. This example converted a Word Perfect document (.wpd) to Word (.doc) by highlighting source and destination formats and clicking Convert. Conversion programs carry forward all layout settings as long as the target format supports the same feature.

Custom Programs Are Often the Only Way
The text of this encyclopedia is written in XyWrite III Plus, a programmable 1990s DOS word processor. It was customized years ago by Alan Freedman, author of this encyclopedia, to insert specific tags that define the elements of the definition (date changed, term name, text, caption, etc.). Freedman also wrote several console programs in C that convert the XyWrite files to a base XML format and then from XML to several target formats for the website and licensees. See console app and C.