Abstract: A software data interface technique allows a program to retrieve data from another program, whether or not data formats employed by the two programs are mutually compatible. An application-independent data format, Fexchange, is a priori agreed upon and readable by creators of the two programs. In the course of storing data during execution of a first program, that data file is augmented to include instructions that convert the format of the data into the application-independent intermediate data format, Fexchange. During execution of the second program, whenever access of data stored in the first program is required, the second program retrieves from the first data file instructions for converting the format of the data to the application-independent intermediate data format, Fexchange. The second program then executes the conversion instructions so as to retrieve the data from the first program.