Re: MIDRANGE-L Digest V4 #613

["Peter Dow" <pcdow@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Jon,

I think of the 2-digit year window as something to be used to get a 4-digit
year. Once you have the 4-digit year, the window is irrelevant.  Now if
you're still storing years as 2-digits in your database, and depending on
the window to determine the century, *then* you've got a problem if the
window changes.

If you're only using the window to convert a 2-digit year to a 4-digit year
on user-entry, then (as I see it) the problem is user training/notification.

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


----- Original Message -----
From: <Jon.Paris@hal.it>
To: <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
Cc: <bvining@us.ibm.com>
Sent: Friday, June 15, 2001 9:29 AM
Subject: Re: MIDRANGE-L Digest V4 #613


>
>  >> Could a disaster happen?  Absolutely if proper planning is not done.
>
> I think it would need a lot of planning, not to mention database changes.
> Since dates on the database are stored as a 4 byte day count (I won't say
> Lilian 'cos it'll only start a debate again <g>), if the window changes
> then all of a sudden what was a valid date will now blow up because it
> falls outside the window for a two digit format.  Since one of the big
> features of dates is guaranteed integrity I would say this is a biggie.
Of
> course you were asking for trouble by specifying a two digit format to
> begin with, but you know that if the option is available it will have been
> used.
>
> Would it not be a safer option to introduce new date formats that are tied
> to the appropriate sysval rather than effectively changing the meaning of
> existing formats?
>
> Jon Paris
> Jon.Paris@e400.com
>
> www.e400.com - A new wave of iSeries and AS/400 Education
>
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