String val = "17-JUL-04";
		
		SimpleDateFormat from = new SimpleDateFormat("dd-MMM-yy");
		SimpleDateFormat to = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyyMMdd");
		try { 
			Date dte = from.parse(val);
			String res = to.format(dte);
			System.out.println(res);
		} catch (Exception e) {
		}

Otherwise, you could write a very simple parser of your own that would convert the date. Make a helper method that grabs each part of the date and converts it(where needed) and concatenates to the end of your needed date string.

Just a thought. Check the API under DateFormat for more info. You may also want to look at the Calendar class as well. The Date class in Java.util is deprecated, so I wouldn't recommend using its methods.

Good luck and happy programming!