title: Build or Install pg_loader on Windows
body: <p>I am running <strong>PostgreSQL 9.6</strong> on a Windows 7 laptop that is tightly managed by corporate IT. I do not have admin privileges on this laptop, but can do "many" things, including software installation, through elevated rights granted through BeyondTrust.</p>
  
  <p>I use this database to import a number of medium-sized datasets from various sources and perform some in-depth analysis and reporting. These datasets have a crazy variation of encoding and formatting which creates challenges while importing them. For one dataset, I first import it into MySQL, strip offending characters from the data, export it back out to CSV, and finally import this cleaned-up data into PostgreSQL.</p>
  
  <p>As an experiment, I installed PostgreSQL 9.6 and pg_loader on my home iMac running macOS 10.12, and it is able to import all of the datasets with no problem.</p>
  
  <p>Given all this as a backdrop, I have a need to use <code>pg_loader</code> to import various datasets. However, the website does not offer either a Windows installer or instructions for compiling it on Windows.</p>
  
  <p>Can anyone point me in the direction of one of the following, with the list going from most desirable to least desirable?</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>Windows installer of pg_loader</li>
  <li>Windows installer of a comparable alternative to pg_loader</li>
  <li>Detailed instructions for compiling pg_loader on Windows</li>
  <li>Suggestions for using Python to clean up the data prior to import (caveat: I have very little experience with Python)</li>
  </ol>