Ncvt is a program which can be used to convert NAACCR 5.0 records to NAACCR 6.0 records. The program is available for DOS, Solaris, and Solaris x86 operating systems.
The specifications for NAACCR 5.0 records and NAACCR 6.0 records are different with respect to data coding as well as formatting. Ncvt was developed using tables provided by NAACCR. Many conversions in these tables are recommended for manual review. Ncvt does not currently flag these conversions. For this reason, as well as possible errors in the conversion tables or programming, users should save a copy of the preconverted data to be used in the event questionable data values are found in the converted file. The Kentucky Cancer Registry does not take responsibility for any loss of data or incorrect conversion of data. Any parties using ncvt do so at their own risk. It is required that users of ncvt read and accept a license agreement which is displayed when the program is invoked. The text of this license agreement is included at the end of this document.
Ncvt is invoked as follows:
Ncvt inputFile outputFile [-l] [-k]The parameters shown enclosed in [] are optional. If ncvt is invoked without any parameters, a message will be displayed describing the parameters as follows:
Usage: Ncvt inputFile outputFile [-l]
inputFile - NAACCR 5.0 file with records to convert
outputFile - NAACCR 6.0 file to store converted records
-l - optional flag for creating a log file
-k - optional flag for KCR specific processing
After ncvt has been invoked it will display a license agreement. The user should carefully read this agreement. At the end of the agreement the user will be prompted with the following message:
Enter 'y' to accept the terms of this agreement or any other key to quit:
If the user accepts the agreement by entering 'y', the program will proceed with the conversion. If the user enters any other key, the program will exit.
After the license agreement is accepted, ncvt requires no more user intervention.
Ncvt reads and processes the records from the input file one at a time. The record is first checked for NAACCR 5.0 compliance by verifying that the record length, type field and version field all have allowable values. The record is then converted to NAACCR 6.0 format using conversion tables and algorithms. If the checking and conversion proceeds without any errors, the converted record is written to the output file.
If any errors are encountered, the NAACCR 5.0 record is written to a reject file and an error message is written to an error file. The reject file and the error file are given the same filename as the output file with the exception that the extension is changed to .rej or .err respectively. Each message in the error file will contain information about a rejected record. This information includes the record's position in the input file, the record's position in the reject file, the case site code, the NAACCR field name of the field which caused the error, and the invalid value stored in the field.
If the -l option is used to create a log file, ncvt will write a log entry for every converted record. The log file will be given the same name as the output file with the exception that the extension is changed to .log. Log file entries will contain old and new values of converted fields as well as the values of other fields which were used to perform the conversion. The log file provides an easy way to verify the correct operation of the program.
If the -k option is used, ncvt will perform processing which is specific to the operations of the Kentucky Cancer Registry. This processing creates an output file in which the records differ slightly from the NAACCR 6.0 conversion record described in the conversion specifications supplied by NAACCR. This option should only be used for preparing data to be merged into a CPDMS central database.
Ncvt Copyright (c) 1999 by Kentucky Cancer Registry LICENSE AGREEMENT You should carefully read the following terms and conditions before using this software. Your use of this software indicates your acceptance of this license agreement. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY This software is provided "as is" and without any warranties whether expressed or implied. The user must assume the entire risk of using this software. It is recommended that the user thoroughly test this software with non-critical data. A copy of any critical data, which is to be processed by this software, should be saved prior to processing to prevent possible loss of data. The Kentucky Cancer Registry will accept no liability for any loss of data or any other loss resulting from the use of this software. DISTRIBUTION You are specifically prohibited from distributing this software without written permission from the Kentucky Cancer Registry.
Return to the Technical Support Page.