text: **9.1 Overview of data conversion**
  
  To work with data conversion, understand the data conversions that are required, and when 
  and how to convert the data. Perform detailed planning before you build your solution so that 
  you achieve a design that remains efficient for many years. 
  
  In this section, we describe why you might need data conversion, when to convert the data 
  stream, and how to convert the data. 
  
  **9.1.1 Why convert data streams**
  
  You might want to convert data streams for many reasons: 
  
  (cid:2) Certain data streams, such as Hewlett-Packard (HP) Printer Command Language (PCL) 
  or Xerox metacode, are printer-specific and cannot be displayed. Before you archive or 
  display the documents, these data streams must be transformed into a compatible format. 
  
  (cid:2) The archived data stream might need to comply with a company’s internal rules or 
  
  regulations. Therefore, the produced data streams must be transformed into the defined 
  and required final format before they are archived. 
  
  (cid:2) The documents might need to be accessible by a user that is outside of the company. The 
  document must be displayed through standard tools that are available on any or at least 
  most of the clients, such as an Internet browser or Adobe Acrobat Reader. 
  
  (cid:2) The documents might need to be manipulated so that only part of the document is 
  displayed in a personalized way. 