You may want to convert data to assure data privacy or to systematically transform data to meet your application testing requirements. You can import converted data into a spreadsheet program, insert it into a testing database, or restore it to a reporting database.
Use the Convert Process to transform data in an Extract or Archive File. Specifications for the Convert Process can be stored as a Convert Request.
When you convert data in an Extract File, you can save the converted data to the same file or as a different Extract File, with some restrictions (refer to Destination File). Depending upon circumstances, it may be useful to retain the original file to maintain a consistent starting point. For example, you can create a set of Extract Files that contain the same data, aged to different dates, by saving the output of each conversion as a separate Extract File. Conversely, you can overwrite the original Extract File in order to mask sensitive data. For details on creating an Extract File, see Create an Extract Request .
Specify a Table Map in a Convert Request to match tables in the Source File to tables in the Destination File or to exclude tables from the process. For detailed information on using Table Maps, see the Common Elements Manual.
Use Column Maps in the Table Map to specify which data to convert and how it is to be converted. For complete details on using Column Maps, see the Common Elements Manual.
You can process a Convert Request immediately (by clicking ), or you can save and schedule the request for processing at a later time (by clicking ). You must save the request before it is scheduled, but it is not necessary to save the request before it is run.
When you create Convert Requests, it is helpful to use a logical set of naming conventions to identify the use for each and to organize them for easy access.
This chapter explains how to create, maintain, and process a Convert Request, including how to: