21 CTI's Data Management and Statistical Analysis Solutions provide the ability to explore a variety of different data and data formats as well as expedite the access of this data for future analysis and utilization. 21 CTI delivers a total solution beginning with data acquisition, mapping, consolidation, and analysis, to database design, statistical analysis, customer required reports, and ending with special customer requirements and interfacing with major third party statistical analysis software applications.

• Data Collection
• Data/Text/Web Mining
• Data Conversion
• Data Analysis
• Database Development, Design, and Implementation
• Graphical User Interface (GUI) Development, Design, and Implementation
• Statistical Data Analysis
• Analysis Report Design and Generation
• Statistical Data/Results Exporting or Uploading
• Data Manipulation, Massage Technical Solutions
• Data Mining
• Data Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis

There are a number of factors that make the design of a sound data conversion and migration strategy a Herculean task. Some of the factors are:

• A need for a well-defined target data structure model.
• An in-depth understanding of the functionality of the source data structure.
• Constant changes on the target model design have a knock-on effect on conversion process design.
• Source data quality, if poor, needs to be cleansed in order to be successfully migrated.
• Degree of complexity of the target model in relation to the source data model.
• The differences in task definitions between the source and target data structures.

By assessing requirements, modeling new processes and applications and providing a visualization of the relationships between business and technology, 21 CTI simplifies and accelerates the complex aspects of analyzing, designing and implementing applications and business processes. The data conversion process is fairly straightforward but is not free of complications. The following phases can be distinctly identified as the building blocks of such a data conversion process.

• Phase 1: Data Structure Model Analysis
• Phase 2: Data Mapping
• Phase 3: Conversion Process Design and Execution

Phase 1: Data Structure Model Analysis

This is the first phase of any data conversion project. The data structure model analysis involves an in-depth study (qualitative and quantitative in the case of a legacy system) of both the legacy and target systems. The following questions are required to be answered in this phase:

• What is to be migrated?
• Are there more than one legacy systems that are required to be migrated?
• Can the data in legacy system be migrated into the target system without data cleansing?
• What is the level of data cleansing required to maximize migration?
• What are the major complications involved in the conversion process?

Phase 2: Data Mapping

Data mapping is a process of assigning a source data element to a target data element.

Having done the analysis of data structure models in Phase 1, data mapping is taken up. If data in a legacy system were to be migrated to target system then each of the fields in source system should be related to a field or a set of fields in the target system. This process of identifying and documenting the target field for each of the fields in legacy system is called data mapping. Data mapping is an exercise undertaken in a team comprising of business analysts, technical team and data mapping team.

Data mapping is an iterative process. For any change in the design of the target system or change in rule for setting a value of a particular field there is a need to amend the mapping specification reflecting the changes in mapping rules.

Phase 3: Conversion Process Design and Execution

This is the most important phase of data conversion process. Once the data mapping is complete, an overall data conversion process is designed to convert data into a structure required by the target system. Mapping specification serves as an input to this phase. All the rules detailed in mapping specification are incorporated in the conversion process design.

1. Technical Mapping Specifications: Technical mapping specifications are translation of mapping specifications from a technical standpoint prepared by technical team, and these serve as a primary input to code development. Care should be taken to incorporate each and every mapping rule defined in the mapping specification.
2. Overall Conversion Process Design: Though each data conversion process design varies depending on the system to be migrated the philosophy remains the same, which is explained below.
3. Concept of Staging Area: The data conversion process is generally executed in a separate area known as the staging area. Figure 2 explains in detail the various operations that are carried out in the staging area.
4. Legacy System(s) Data Import: Data from the production database of the legacy system is imported to the staging area.
5. Data Conversion Process: The data conversion process is executed on the imported legacy system data in the staging area.
6. Converted Data: The data conversion process gives rise to the converted data that is in the required target data structure model.