massage

(computer science) To process data, primarily to convert it into a more useful form or into a form that will simplify processing.
(medicine) The act of rubbing, kneading, or stroking the superficial parts of the body with the hand or with an instrument, for therapeutic purposes.

To process data.

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[common] Vague term used to describe ‘smooth’ transformations of a data set into a different form, esp. transformations that do not lose information. Connotes less pain than munch or crunch. “He wrote a program that massages X bitmap files into GIF format.” Compare slurp.