Manual and batch conversion processes

An umportant decision in data conversion planning is whether to use a manual or batch process for converting characters.

Manual approach

If the number of required changes is limited, a manual approach might be practical. The output report generated by the codepageutil analyze_tables command lists the location of every character in the database that is not supported by the preferred data code page.

Depending on the tables where the unsupported characters appear, you can use the Designer, the Maintenance Tool, the Rational® ClearQuest® client applications, and database editing tools from your database vendors to change the characters.

A manual approach provides a great deal of control over the changes and ensures that each one is reviewed so that the converted information makes sense to users.

The disadvantage of this approach is that it is very labor-intensive, prone to human error, and not practical if a large number of changes must be made.

Batch method

If the number of changes is large, a batch approach might be more effective.

Your database vendor may already have provided this capability (for example, the Oracle Character Set Scanner Utility). For more information, consult your vendor database documentation.

Otherwise, you might be able to write a program to perform this tasks.

Setting the -xml option when you run codepageutil analyze_tables generates an XML output file that shows the location of every unsupported character. This file can be used as an input to your batch conversion program.

You might want to add some manual checking to a batch process, to check a sample of text fields such as Description, Notes, and Headline to verify that the converted versions are intelligible and meaningful to users.


Feedback