Databases and Y2K :: Computers

Databases and Y2KIntroduction Tremendous problems loom just around the corner fororganizations that use two-digit years (i.e. 1-9-97). How tough couldit be to change the year from 1999 to 2000? The year 2000 Problemcannot be fixed by simply resetting a computers internal clock onJanuary 1, 2000. Computers may be smart, but their programmers werentvery farsighted. In the 60s and 70s, umteen businesses were looking tocut courts and because computer storage space was expensive at the time,programmers decided to cut year dates to two digits (i.e., 1969 became69). It doesnt sound like a major error, but computers are extremelydate-sensitive. Computers routinely add and subtract digits in a dateto make a variety of logical calculations, ranging from move aroundreservations to how much interest one has accrued on a savingsaccount. The problem lies in the fact that many computers designatecentury data utilise only two digits, 00, and will read 2000 as 1900.And the bug feigns more than just computer systems. Many manufacturershave built products with software instructions introduce onto chipsequipment ranging from fax machines to auto assembly lines could all beaffected by the bug.Whats the Problem? For many organizations, the Year 2000 Problem hasbecome the most complex calculate management exercise ever undertaken.The reasons for this are multi-factored. For starters, we are lessthan 13 months away from Year 2000 yet many organizations are just now compensable attention to it.1 There is no way to avoid the fact that ourinformation systems are based on a faulty standard that will cost theworldwide computer community billions of dollars in programming effort.This bug touches on all areas of an organization, and the complexityof analyzing and quantifying the scope of the problem, repairing andreplacing infected items, conducting adequate testing activities andfinally, implementing multiple co-ordinated hardware, systems andsoftware can be overwhelming. C ompounding the difficulty is the lack ofawareness in general regarding the potential risks, and the fact thatthe project is driven by a series of hard dates. In addition, manyorganizations have further complicated the process by beginning their eDatabases and Y2K How might Y2K affect databases that, in turn, affectour everyday lives? Lets take your bank account. As the 1999 turnsover to 2000, your banks computer may calculate that your accountdeserves an additional 100 years interest. Of course, its alsopossible you may be penalized for being 100 years overdue on your loanpayment Or suppose you have some data records and want to sort them by