UNUSABLE FILE FORMATS

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You may get electronic data in a format that you cannot use “out of the box.” When that happens, you have to convert the files to a format you can use—or, find someone to do the conversion for you. You may have already encountered these issues with a variety of files including electronic mail files, database files from mainframe systems, and “.txt” files containing data dumped from database files. Anyone who has undertaken this task can attest that it is potentially a difficult and painstaking process.

Whenever you suspect that you will have to convert data, there are some steps you can take to facilitate the process. Initially, try to get as much information about how the files were created and maintained as you can. Whether you intend to try the conversion yourself or rely on outside resources to get the work done, the more you know about the files, the better your chances of a successful conversion. For example, if you receive a “.txt” file that appears to contain information from a database file, try to find out, among other things, the make and model of the computer the file came from; the name and version of the operating system the computer ran; the name and version of the database program used; the name of the database file; a list of all fields in the database; and descriptions of each field with the descriptions including the type, length, and other characteristics of the field.

Furthermore, get sample printouts if possible. If you get these, they may provide answers to some of the questions previously listed. They may show how the data was laid out—and, hence, how it was used. They also may give clues about electronic data that you should have received, but did not.

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