text: **9.1.2 When to convert data streams**
  
  The decision of*when*to convert data streams relies mainly on the use of the system. 
  Typically, converting data at load time requires more time to process the print stream file, and 
  converting data at retrieval time causes the user retrieval to be a little slower. The decision 
  might depend on how many documents are retrieved, compared to how many documents are 
  loaded daily. It might also depend on legal requirements about the format of stored data. 
  
  **AFP to PDF**
  If a requirement exists to present AFP documents in the Portable Document Format (PDF) 
  format over the web, from a storage perspective, it is more efficient to store the documents in 
  their native format and then convert them to PDF at retrieval time. AFP documents are stored 
  more efficiently than PDF documents. 
  
  The PDF print stream, when it is divided into separate customer statements, is larger than 
  AFP because each statement contains its own set of structures that are required by the PDF 
  architecture to define a document. 
  
  Elapsed time and processor time are also essential factors in the decision-making process. 
  The amount of time (elapsed and CPU) that is needed to convert the document depends on 
  how large the document is and how many resources or fonts are associated with the 
  document. 