Y2K tools for BPCS 5.1 and others -- BPCS-L



Michael,

Following a slanderous and damming email from Mr. Dan Mitchell, President
and CTO of Nexgen regarding encapsulation (+/-28), I would like to point
out some real facts.

Mr. Mitchell's email and article was full of inaccuracies regarding
encapsulation (-/+28) and is obviously panic driven due to the end of 1999
in full sight and therefore the decline in demand for expansion products
such as Mr. Mitchell's Nexgen's and the increase in demand for
encapsulation tools. His screen print is a calculated and misleading
attempt to put BPCS users off the fine merits of encapsulation and promote
Nexgen and their products. We could all create and fabricate a screenprint
like this. If such a 'Tale of Caution' is actually true, Mr. Mitchell
should identify the encapsulation product used and where, so that other
proven encapsulation products such as MS4 are not implicated with the smell
of some unproved imitation products which actually do exist. Perhaps this
is what Me. Mitchell stumbled across.

The encapsulation product Mr. Mitchell tries to defame is certainly NOT MS4
- as MS4 encapsulates ORD500 in less than 1 minute and without such
inaccuracies, and continually does so at hundreds of sites around the globe
every day.

MS4  ( http://www.ms400.com ) is the global leader in Y2K solutions for
BPCS. MS4 uses patented encapsulation techniques and has been installed
successfully in over 700 BPCS sites around the world by multi-national
clients such as Coca-Cola, Ciba, Leo Labs, Roche, RPR, Clariant, Seimens,
Pfizer, Alfa Laval, CIC Video, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and
hundreds more BPCS users. MS4 is even recommended by SSA here in Europe and
in Asia.

Speed.

I agree with Mr Mitchell that he is biased towards date expansion, but to
boast that it is as quick or quicker than encapsulation is laughable.
Please ask any of the many BPCS users that have spent months trying
expansion and are now calling Millennium Solutions on a daily basis to
implement MS4 as time is running out with no end to their expansion
projects in sight. I believe this is why Mr Mitchell and his friends at
Nexgen are panicking and manufacturing such 'Tales of Caution'.

Expansion was a fine solution back in November 1998 when he wrote his
(rather inaccurate ) article, a period when BPCS users had plenty of time
and hopefully money to pay all the consultants required but not now with
less than 100 days to go. MS4 (encapsulation) is normally installed in 5
days and I challenge Mr. Mitchell to compare both products over any BPCS
system, modified or standard to see which is faster - encapsulation (MS4)
or expansion (Focus2000).

Reversible.

Mr. Mitchell claims that reversing out Y2K changes is just as simple with
expansion as it is with encapsulation. WRONG. This proves that Mr. Mitchell
has a complete mis-understanding of how encapsulation works. Again I invite
Mr. Mitchell to a test. With MS4 a new library is created with the new
'modified MS4'd programs present. The user simply removes this library and
runs his MS4 data conversion programs. For a large BPCS system - about 2
hours in Total.

Impact Minimal.

Mr Mitchell claims that with encapsulation 'every program that brings users
into contact with dates must be modified at source level, recompiled and
tested'. WRONG. MS4 only modifies programs which write to a screen or
report - approx. 28% of all BPCS programs as opposed to 100% for expansion.

Summary,

Mr Mitchell in desperation refers to encapsulation as ''trickery''  and
''quick and dirty''. MS4 is an encapsulation product which has been
implemented by KPMG, Anderson Consulting, Ernst & Young and Cap Gemini for
many of their BPCS clients. In addition to the clients above there are
other household names such as Bristol Myers Squib, Gateway 2000,  Van Leer,
Avery Dennison, Pharmacia & Upjohn, Novartis, Diversey Lever, and hundreds
more.

I will not stoop so low as too criticise expansion or Nexgen's product in
the manner which Mr. Mitchell has criticised expansion and by association
MS4. Instead I will let the facts speak for themselves....over 700 BPCS
sites across the world in over 55 countries most of which are Fortune 1000
companies cannot all be wrong.

Sorry Mr Mitchell you picked the wrong product to pick a fight with, the
facts are with only 100 days to go encapsulation is the ONLY option for
BPCS users to solve the Y2K problem.

Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Manus Bray.
Millennium Group,
Citywest Business Campus,
3010 Lake Drive,
Saggart,
Co. Dublin,
Republic of Ireland.
Telephone :    +353 1 403 5400
Fax :   +353 1 466 0052
email : info@ms400.com





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