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Data File Solutions

These data file solutions are designed to give you ideas for how you can use one or more of the Pervasive DataTools products to solve your data migration challenges between virtually all data file formats and other applications and databases.

In this section we have included information about migrating, converting, and transforming data between data files such as Binary, Legacy COBOL, Micro Focus COBOL, C-ISAM, C-TREE, Btrieve, CSV Text, Fixed Text, SDF (Standard Data Format), and many more.

Here are a few other names by which a variety of source data file formats are known: SDF (Standard Data Format), Fixed Length, Fixed Width, Fixed Format, CSV (Comma Separated Values), ASCII, DlmAscii, Delimited ASCII, Text, DlmText, and Delimited Text.

Read information about data file types and sources by clicking here.


Reading Source Data | Writing Target Data | Putting it All Together



Reading Source Data

On the "read" or "source" side of any data migration project one or more categories of the DataTools product line offers a source connection, as follows:

DataTools Source Connection Type
Data DownLoaders Read source data directly from a specific data file format, or read data that has been exported to a CSV text file.
Data Parsers Read and parse data directly from flat file formats that contain little or no metadata.
Data Extractors Read and extract data directly from a structured text or report file.

Source Connection Ideas

Based on the information in the above table, consider each of these scenarios, and find the one that most closely matches the type of source connection that works for your project.

  • Connection to Desktop Data File Formats - If one of the Pervasive DataTools DownLoaders provides a source-side adapter that connects directly to your data file format, this is usually the the most efficient way to connect to your source data. The most common source data file format is CSV, because many applications include an export utility that creates a CSV export file.
  • Connection to Record Manager File Formats - If one of the Data Parsers provides a source-side adapter that connects directly to your data file format, connect to your source data file and parse it into fields and records.

  • Connection to Report File Formats - If one of the Data Extractors provides a source-side adapter that connects directly to your report file format, connect to your source report file and define rules to extract and assemble the useful data into fields and records.

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Writing Target Data

On the "write" or "target" side of any data migration project one or more categories of the DataTools product line offers a target connection, as follows:

DataTools Target Connection Type
Data UpLoaders Write the data directly to your target application or database. Or write the data to file format, including CSV import files, that can be imported into your application or database, or uploaded to a mainframe computer.
Data Builders Write data to a CSV file format that is specifically formatted for importing into your application or online store.

Target Connection Ideas

Based on the information in the above table, select an UpLoader or Builder to write your data to the type of target data file that works for your project.

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Putting it All Together

While the large number of applications, databases, and file formats creates an endless combination of connection options, we have described the many ways to use the DataTools to solve these data conversion challenges on the Application Solutions and Database Solutions pages.

However, with data file formats, the methodology is relatively simple. There is either a Data DownLoader, a Data UpLoader, a Data Parser, or a Data Extractor to handle virtually any kind of source data file you may have.


And of course, if you need assistance, please enter a brief description of your project - along with your question(s) - in one of our user forums. The Pervasive DataTools Team is always happy to help you determine which of our data tools will work for your data project.

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