Converting from a legacy tag language

[JimmyT]

Hello,

I work for a new/small company, VMS Software inc (VSI), that is updating, upgrading, and selling the VMS (OpenVMS) operating system, which was the proprietary operating system of Digital Equipment Corp (DEC). I worked at DEC for many years and now work at VSI in the documentation department.

At DEC, we authored our large docset in a proprietary tool called Document that used an SGML variant called SDML. Back in the 1980's we (DEC) built everything in-house and nothing was ever used off the shelf, so SDML bears resemblance to SGML but was dumbed down somewhat in terms of tags

What I want to do is migrate the SDML code to XML and use the Docbook DTD. I have included some SDML code fragments below.I have experience with XML/Docbook, and we have 2 oxygen Author licenses. here are some other facts

So my questions are:
1. Is there any way I can use oxygen to convert these legacy tags to XML tags? Like a tag mapping?
2. I have PDFs of the manuals and can get a fairly clean Word document (using PDF to Word converter). Does that help me at all?
3. Or do I have to develop an in-house conversion program.

Thanks for any help on this.

Jim

SDML fragment
------------------
As you can see there is a <p> tag like a <para>, but there is no end tag for the <p> . So it is similar or old SGML but not the same. There are similar tags like <table>, <code_example>, <routine>, etc

<head2>(OpenVMS Layered Products License\lmfsym_4)
<p>
<x>(Licensing requirements<xs>layered products) <-- index entry
Compaq software layered products on OpenVMS Galaxy configurations continue to
HP software layered products on OpenVMS Galaxy configurations continue to
use standard license types: Traditional, Concurrent Use, and Personal Use.
<list>(unnumbered)
<le>One Traditional Capacity License will continue to license the
system, regardless of the number of instances.
The license is based on the system class of the hardware system.
<le>Concurrent Use Licenses will continue to license one
concurrent use of the product.
<le>Personal Use Licenses will continue to license one named user
on the system.
<endlist>

[Radu]

Hi Jim,

Sorry but we do not have any built-in tools to help with such kind of conversion.

Regards,
Radu