# Common Formats Fields used by PDI transformation steps and job entries have common masks for converting the formats of data values from your original input source or to your target output. For example, you may have a date field in a record of a database that is formatted to be `MMddyyyy` and another field in an input text file formatted to `ddMMyy`. You can apply a mask to either field to match the other. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.pentaho.com/pdia-data-integration/9.3-data-integration/pdi-transformation-steps-reference-overview/common-formats.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.