What Does the Century Date Change Mean to You?
The century date change (CDC) problem is a pressing one. The problem arises because there is no two-digit century value within the date field of today's legacy systems to distinguish between the 20th and the 21st centuries. According to Kevin Schick, spokesman of the Gartner Group, "By 1999, without corrective measures, a full 90% of all applications and systems will be affected by the year 2000 (Y2K) date change, producing unknown or erroneous results."
CTR's report, The Year 2000 Crisis: Developing a Successful Plan for Information Systems, examines the Y2K date change issue and discusses the problem in detail. The report notes that the CDC is a subset of more comprehensive legacy system problems: Original programmers are often long gone, and the source code may be lost.
The report also explores problem definition and scope, including the number of systems affected, the cost of addressing the issue, and what constitutes compliance.
Year 2000 Business Concerns Should Not Be Underestimated
While business leaders are typically underestimating the potential impact of the Y2K, analysts see it as a business survival issue.
The Year 2000 Crisis: Developing a Successful Plan for Information Systems addresses the business consequences resulting from the Y2K problem, including the potential for systems failure, the great risk of litigation, and the possible collapse of the entire financial community. The problem should be treated as a "virus" that transcends company borders and has the ability to impact interfaces, structured query language (SQL) databases and applications, trading partners, and non-personal computer (PC) remote devices.
Importance of Building Year 2000 Awareness
The Year 2000 Crisis: Developing a Successful Plan for Information Systems explains why the Y2K issue differs in several ways from other IS problems, exploring and debunking Y2K myths and misconceptions. Organizations that believe this is a simple technical problem and that there is still plenty of time to resolve it will not be adequately prepared at the turn of the century.
The report discusses the importance of building awareness and provides suggestions on how to convince corporate executives of the importance of this issue.
Preparing for the Year 2000
The report discusses the importance of taking action, with approaches including quick-start solutions, impact analysis, and a six-step strategy. The project management approach is recommended which suggests that organizations deal with the issue enterprisewide and adequately address important issues such as service provider contracts, application and outside interfaces, packaged software, systems software, end-user software, orphan technologies, and contingency planning.
Year 2000 Compliance Options
The Year 2000 Crisis: Developing a Successful Plan for Information Systems explores two major compliance options: Date field expansion and procedural work-around approaches. Data migration, validation, logical and physical solutions, alternatives to four-digit expansion, and proving compliance are also discussed.
Practical aspects of automating the conversion project are also detailed. The report explores various tool solutions available for the different migration and conversion stages. A baseline process is also given, and additional tool descriptions are provided.
The report examines the role of third-party assistance, explores available services, and provides guidelines for a compliance methodology. In most cases, organizations with the Y2K problem will benefit from seeking outside help. The report also discusses finding a synergistic partner and how requests for proposal (RFP) can support Y2K projects.
Managing Year 2000 Implementation
The report discusses various Y2K issues, including IBM's view of the Y2K, the midrange system impact, and how companies can successfully resolve the problem. Many in-depth case studies of the Y2K issues faced by organizations such as the New York City Transit Authority, the Union Pacific Railroad, and the Equitable Life Assurance Society provide a real-world framework for understanding the Y2K problem.
Crucial Year 2000 Building Blocks
The Year 2000 Crisis: Developing a Successful Plan for Information Systems includes a discussion of critical success factors for the Y2K project. Leading experts recommend a combination of methodology, process, and project management. The cost and success of such initiatives depend on the degree of coordination among technology groups and solution integration. All analysts agree that immediate action is critical.
