Software tool developer michaels, ross & cole, ltd. (mrc) announced today a new m-Power enhancement that automatically converts confusing database fields into understandable formats. m-Power is software that rapidly creates Web applications such as report-writing, business intelligence, executive dashboards, e-commerce, customer portals, and wireless applications to name a few. 

Databases often store data fields in formats that are unrecognizable for most users.  Here are a couple of examples:

• Many databases use obscure date formats. For example, some use Julian dates, which incorporate a Century-Year-Day (C-YY-DDD) format. In this example, a simple date like February 1, 2005 is stored in the database as 105032.
• Some databases store numeric values without decimal points. For example, a number like $123.45 is stored in the database as 12345.

Those are just two examples, but this issue affects a wide range of database fields. More importantly, this issue leads to problems for developers: When creating applications over databases that use these unrecognizable formats, developers have two options:

1. Use custom logic: They must write and include custom data translation logic in every application they create.  This logic must convert the database field into a recognizable format for the users.  Additionally, if the application allowed for user input, they must add logic that converts the field back into the database format.
2. Use the database format: Rather than go through the hassle of adding conversion logic, some companies just force the users to learn the format used by the database.

The m-Power Field Conversion enhancement eliminates these problems, according to mrc. It places a Java class in m-Power-built applications that automatically translates data into the appropriate format. It will translate data going from the database to the user, or going from the user into the database. 

Some of the most common data conversion classes are already built into m-Power, so conversions occur automatically without any additional work from the m-Power developer. Additionally, if users wish to convert any other field types, m-Power allows for the creation of custom Java classes to translate those fields. 

"This data conversion problem has been a thorn in developer's sides for years now," says Brian Crowley, mrc's director of Development. "I'm thrilled to say that with this new Field Conversion enhancement, we've eliminated the problem for m-Power users."

For additional information, contact mrc at 630-916-0662 or write This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..