In article <[log in to unmask]>, >With all of the available database programs on the market, each with >short-comings and positive points, someone needs to develop a feasable >means to transfer (and translate) the different database files from one >format to another. > >Would any of you other nerds like to try this? > > Well, actually, there are utilities that can do this for almost anything and in fact that is a lot of what I do in my "after hours" consultancy business: convert and normalize data from one system or platform to another. I specialize in taking older systems in DOS databases or proprietary structures and putting them into Windows-based systems and often am asked to do clean-up as I go (PARTICULARLY by non-profits who do not have the manpower to do this). Whether it is worth investing in the utilities or in the help of a consultant more or less depends on the technical skill and manpower available at your institution (and the degree to which the data is a disaster even if you ignore the environment in which it is stored!)