Re: Y2.1K Compliance

Hi Jim,

I think I misspoke on my previous email. As you say, windowing is only with
6-digit dates; I was thinking of what would happen if IBM changed what the
"c" in cyymmdd represents. As I understand it, it currently depends on the
setting of the QCENTURY system value, where 0 = 1928-1999 and 1 = 2000-2053.
If they decided that 0 = 1929-1999, then anyone storing dates in cyymmdd
format might have a problem. However, I don't see that as a likely scenario.

No, I use native dates when possible, or whatever the customer/vendor
software I happen to be working with is using. Still, the cyymmdd date is
what IBM uses to pass from a command to the command processing program when
a parameter is defined as a *DATE parameter. I use CVTDAT to convert such a
date to an 8-digit date, so it's up to IBM to be consistent in how they
convert dates with CVTDAT.

Regards,
Peter Dow
Dow Software Services, Inc.
909 425-0194 voice
909 425-0196 fax


From: "Jim Langston" <jimlangston@conexfreight.com>
> If you are storing the date as cyymmdd you are not using OS400's native
> dates, so it doesn't matter.
>
> Windowing is only used for some date validations.  It should not play a
> part at all in 8 digit dates (0001-01-01 is a valid date).  It would
definitely
> play a role in 6 digit dates (01/01/29.  Is that 1929 or 2029?  Currently,
> it would be 1929.  When the window moves, the OS would interpret it as
2029.
> It would not become invalid, just wrong.)
>
> Can this be a problem?  Definitely.  How do we fix this?  Couple of ways.
>
> 1. Don't use OS400's date validation programs.
> 2. Store dates in native OS400 format
> 3. Store dates in 8 digit form CCYYMMDD
>
> Tell me, though, how are you currently interpreting CYYMMDD yourself?  Are
you
> using CHECK?  Are you using date functions?  Or are you using all home
grown
> functions?

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