Re: Help! --The Year 2000 is Coming !

[David Kraig <raddk@lanl.gov>]

This is a local problem and I am not sure it is of general interest.  I work in the Air Monitoring group at Los Alamos National Lab and we will have a problem in our air monitoring, direct penetrating radiation, and other  data, all of which  stored on Microsoft Access databases.  Basically, the identifiers we use for individual records are text fields that use a two-place identifier for year.  Some of our queries to generate data summaries and such will not perform correctly when the "00" date is entered.  We are considering several options to correct the problem.  Our two most likely fixes are:

Create a new database with identifiers formatted to accept four-digit years.  This database would be completely constructed including all changes needed to queries, reports, etc.  by the year 2000 and, at that time, we would make an instantaneous change to the new database.  Our existing database would become archived.


The second possibility is to add a "Century" field to the existing data base and then reconstruct queries to be based on the century.

Each option has advantages and disadvantages and discussions continue on which method would work best for us.  
Hope this helps.






At 12:26 PM 7/2/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Radsafers,
>   I am putting together an article for the HPS Newsletter on
>how the Millennium Bug may affect HP (and allied arts and
>sciences). For those who aren't yet "Year 2000"  (Y2k)
>savvy:  there is a generic problem with older computer
>programs, including microprocessors, that used only two
>digits to represent years instead of four, resulting in the year
>2000 being perceived as 1900 by the program and possible
>shutdown or malfunction of the associated equipment. 
>Governments and industries worldwide are recognizing this
>as a problem and starting to address it.  (There are several
>good web sites on the subject)  There's a deadline here that
>can't be slipped.  
>I would appreciate input from folks in all areas of the
>profession on the results of Y2K hazards assessments, how
>you are preparing for the Year 2000, and what problems have
>arisen.  ALso, what sort of contingency planning is being
>done? (Some are predicting major problems in the electricity
>grid and the phone system).  Thanks for your help.
>
>Joyce Davis
>joyced@dnfsb.gov
>
>


______________________________
---------------------------------------------
Dave Kraig,ESH-17
Health Physicist
MS-J978
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, NM  87545

phone	505-665-8884
fax	505-665-8858