ISBN Conversion

Are You Ready for the New ISBN?

Due to the upcoming change of the ISBN format, computer software currently used in bookstores, libraries, publishing houses and many other places need to be revised. This task requires a greater effort than the Y2K revisions did. In many systems, ISBN is used as a primary key or a segment of the primary key in many tables, and thus changing its data type requires careful planning and extensive testing. Furthermore, as long as books using the old ISBN format are being circulated, software systems will have to be able to handle both the new and old formats concurrently. That means the input routines of your software will have to be rewritten to accept both formats and covert them accordingly.

On the Internet there are many articles about how to convert the ISBN, but little is available in the way of real code. To help you write the ISBN conversion routines, Polaris Computing has posted some sample programs here. These are working programs that have been compiled and tested. You can copy them into your system to use, royalty free. Click on the language to see the corresponding code.

Language	Compiler or Interpreter	Description
BASIC	Microsoft Access	Program
C or C++	Borland C++ Builder	Program
Java	Microsoft Visual J++	Program
JavaScript	Web Browsers	Script
Pascal	Borland Delphi	Program
RPG	IBM AS/400 RPG Compiler	Program
SQL	IBM AS/400 DB2	SQL Function

The conversion algorithm is straightforward. You can easily and systematically translate the code into other languages, such as PL/1, FORTRAN and Modula.

Here is a testing area to help you check your conversion routines for currently existing ISBN's:

The above conversion is done by a JavaScript.

If you do not have enough time or enough programmers to finish your software revision in time, we at Polaris Computing are ready to help! Our programming is disciplined, and we promise efficient code. We will finish the project on time and minimize your system's downtime for the revision. We will debug our code for free for six months after delivery. Polaris Computing has a very competitive price schedule. Please email us at sales@polariscomputing.com for more information.