From his days as an underwriter, Stephen Forte, who today is a senior research analyst with Gartner, knows there are ways around required data fields. Business users can find reasons to justify such methods, but eventually those actions will come back to haunt the company and make the job that much harder for those charged to convert mountains of data into a useable and manageable form.

How the data is collected initially and how it is entered into the carrier's system usually will define whether data is dirty or not, according to Forte. Shortcuts and other tricks allow users to complete their tasks in a timely manner, but at what price? When the IT staff performs a data conversion project, these "skeletons," as Forte refers to them, can impede the project's progress. "Business users don't always think about how their actions are going to affect the company," he says.

Data conversion projects are complicated by other issues, as well. Historically, mergers and acquisitions have been one of the prime drivers of data conversion. In recent years, though, customer service has sparked data conversion projects, notes Brian O'Connell, managing director in Accenture's life insurance practice. Carriers have worked to create consolidated customer files, and these files involve a great deal of conversion activity.