Media Conversions

Data/ Media/ Tape Conversions:

We specalize in extracting or converting data from legacy tapes produced on IBM mainframes, and the IBM midrange series, including the AS/400, Iseries, I5, and System 36 into a P/C readable format

We have done multiple conversions for legal cases to extract legacy data and convert it into a P/C format, so it can be analyzed.

Data from IBM midrange and mainframe computers usually comes in EBCDIC instead of ASCII. But often data is stored with packed numeric amounts and/or data files have combined record types. A straight EBCDIC to ASCII conversion will not convert packed data.

Data Design Inc will analyze your data and convert the packed numeric amounts into data that can be used. In addition, if necessary we can convert multiple record types into separate databases that can be used by standard P/C applications.

Data Design Inc conversion services include:

• Extracting and converting data for litagation or court orders
• System migrations and conversions
• Extracting data from magnetic media to CD or DVD for archival purposes

Examples of conversions:

Your data looks like this:



And you need this:



You were given this:

Or this:

And you need this:

Or this:

To Who it May Concern:

I have been practicing law for over thirty years, almost exclusively in oil & gas trial litigation. In several different cases, we have obtained voluminous amounts of data, from the opposing side, stored on old magnetic reel-to-reel tapes and other similar formats.

Nina Jones with Data Design was able to extract the exact data we were looking for and furnish it back to us in useable formats, such as Excel or Access. Each time, the opposing attorneys were shocked to see what Data Design had been able to do. In fact, we had more information than the opposing attorneys knew was contained within the data.

The end result was that we had more thorough information than the company itself had been able to obtain from the tapes, which led to a successful conclusion in these cases. I could not imagine anyone being more capable than Nina Jones and Data Design for this type of work. They have my highest recommendation.

Yours Truly,
Brad Brickell

Additional industries we have performed media conversions and data extractions include:

• Obtaining data from medicare records for hospitals
• Extracting data for a system conversion for the Oklahoma Bar Association
• Converting tax data for public records reporting agencies
• Extracting trade accounts receivable data for credit reporting agencies

Options to format the data include data base, spreadsheet, delimited, and microsoft data base formats such as Excel and Access.

Media Conversions:

• Diskettes, 8, 5 1/4, or 3 1/2 inch.
• CD-ROM
• Tape 9 track, 1/2 inch reel.
• 3480, 3490, and 3490E tape cartridge.
• 1/4 inch cartridge tape.
• 8mm cartridge tape.
• 4mm cartridge tape.

Items that Determine the Charge are:

• Amount of data
• Number of files
• If the date is converted from EBCDIC to ASCII, is any of the data packed or binary? If this in not dealt with, the converted data will not be usable.
• It takes longer to write the converted file in a delimited or data base format, instead of an ASCII Text file.