[Koha] Data Conversion

[baljkas at mb.sympatico.ca]

Wednesday, October 1, 2003     15:32-16:04 CDT

Hi, Luke,

Regarding your data conversion problem, you DON'T need to figure out the
PERL stuff right now if you don't want to (I mean, knock yourself out, if
you do ... ;-)).

As I have posted to the listserv several times, there is a VERY NEAT and
FREE program available off of the Library of Congress MARC ... Tools page
at
    URL <http://www.loc.gov/marc/marctools.html#recordtools> 
called MARCEdit. You will also need to download the free tools MARCMakr
(and MARCBreaker) from the same page.

The part that addresses your specific sit' reads: "[...] the MarcEdit
Delimited Text Translator provides users with a simple method for mapping
delimited files into MARC."

Here is all the info about MARCEdit directly from that page:

===============================
MarcEdit - Free

MarcEdit is a free Windows-based utility that runs on any PC (486+) using
Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP.
MarcEdit is made up of two core components: the MarcEngine and the
MarcEditor-in addition to a number of built-in MARC utilities. Currently,
MarcEdit's MarcEngine supports: 1) MARC->mnemonic plain text 2) mnemonic
plain text->MARC 3) MARC->XML - Function uses LC's new MARCXML Schema
4)MARC->Dublin Core (unqualified 1.1). The MARC editor is equipped with
numerous global editing options, like the ability to add or delete fields
or subfields and the ability to edit or change indicators. The MarcEditor
provides MarcEdit with a robust MARC editor, making record maintenance and
record creation a snap. 
MarcEdit provides an integrated interface for utilizing the Library of
Congress's web Z39.50 client to import MARC records directly into the
MarcEditor. In addition to MarcEdit's core functions, the current version
of MarcEdit (version 4.1), includes a built-in Script Wizard and Delimited
Text Translator utility. The MarcEdit Script Wizard has been designed to
help users generate simple scripting solutions for common maintenance
problems, while the MarcEdit Delimited Text Translator provides users with
a simple method for mapping delimited files into MARC. MarcEdit has also
been designed using Microsoft's COM architecture, allowing users to access
the functionality of the MarcEngine through numerous scripting or
programming languages like vbscript, jscript, Visual Basic, C++ and PERL.
The help file includes a number of simple programming examples in both
vbscript and PERL for most of the application's exposed functions-making
your only limitation your imagination.
     URL <http://www.onid.orst.edu/~reeset/marcedit/html/> 

     Contact: 
     Terry Reese
     Oregon State University
     121 Valley Library
     Corvallis, OR 97331-4501
     U.S.A.
     Internet e-mail address: terry.reese at orst.edu
     Telephone: +1-541-343-2397
     FAX: +1-541-737-8267 
===================================================

If you require some additional help with it, please write back to me
off-listserv and I will glad to do what I can to assist. If your system
isn't Windows-based and you have no friendly helper nearby with one, I'd be
glad to give the conversion a go for you.