As new halFILE systems are installed, the programming staff of hal Systems is often faced with the problem of converting old data into a halFILE database. This is a very difficult, complex and time-consuming task but it has been our policy to do all that we can to bring this data forward into halFILE's powerful client/server databases. This article illustrates the lengths to which hal's dedicated workforce will go in order to preserve your data.

Recently, we performed an installation which required a large conversion. The plan was to write the conversion program before going on-site and then perform the conversions during the installation. On day one, the data was captured and placed on a technician's laptop. That night, the conversion process was started in the hotel room where hal's staff were staying. When the technician woke up the next morning, alas, the conversion was still running! Since the conversion was supposed to be delivered on day two so the users could be trained with live data, there was no alternative. The laptop was unplugged, with the conversion still running, and gently placed into the trunk of the rent car. The conversion ran on battery power through breakfast and the drive to the client's office. At the office, the laptop was plugged back in and the conversion completed without a hitch. Users were happy to see their data in halFILE for Windows.

Tales from ConversionLand - sometimes fact is stranger than fiction!