Re: Y2K testing

[mcrump@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

You may want to consider checking on SIMDATE from Firstech.

You can access them at: www.simdate.com.  I've included some
text from their site.  I have not used this product nor investigated it.
I do believe they are on IBM's Y2K solution provider list if that
means anything.  Their phone number is -213-658-1146.

SIMDATE is the premiere date simulation tool for the IBM AS/400.  Developed
 by The
Firstech Corporation, SIMDATE allows you to use different system dates for
different jobs
without ever changing the actual system date, QDATE.  This allows you to
safely and easily
test how programs will perform on a wide variety of dates, including dates
on and after January
1, 2000.

Testing is the most time consuming and costly phase of a year 2000
conversion. SIMDATE
allows you to save time, money, and resources by eliminating the
bottlenecks in comprehensive
testing.

Since the system date is never changed, there is no chance of interference
with your production
jobs or with testing by other developers.  In fact, each developer can
simultaneously test with
different system dates.  For example, one person may be testing his or her
programs using
today's date or December 31, 1999 while another person can be testing with
February 29,
2000 or any other date.  Imagine the impact of someone changing QDATE for a
 test and then
forgetting to change it back!!

SIMDATE eliminates the need to conduct complicated coordinated testing
where QDATE is
changed at various times to accommodate different testing dates.  Now, each
 developer can
quickly test a program at a variety of dates without having to worry that
changing the system
date will negatively impact production or other development.  Now a
programmer can test a
program with various system dates without requiring access to change system
 values or waiting
for someone who has that authority.

SIMDATE works with ILE RPG as well as OPM (non-ILE) RPG and COBOL.  It also
works with CL and supports the DATE keyword in DDS.  SIMDATE does not
require
access to any restricted commands such as CHGSYSVAL or CHGSYSLIBL, thus
preserving
system integrity.




> Some time ago, Steve Raisor wrote that his company was considering
> setting the date of their development machine to a year 2000 date.  Other
> list members provided some things to watch out for.  I never read the
> results of that test.  Steve, or anyone who has done this, how did it go?
> Any unforseen problems?
>
> We are going to do this next weekend.
>
> Thanks.
>
> -- Carol


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