Many of those who work with PICK based languages, which includes Revelation G and Advanced Revelation, incorrectly assume that because the programming language is Year 2000 compliant, then any application written in that language will also be compliant. Some vendors of Revelation and PICK applications state this in their Year 2000 compliance statement.

Unless a software application is checked and tested for possible Year 2000 problems, it cannot be guaranteed Year 2000 compliant. Many organisations have only performed a cursory check for Y2K issues within their applications due to programmers not understanding the full scope of the problem.

Financial Solutions' Year 2000 audit work created a requirement for specialised software to assist with Revelation applications. Testing alone does not uncover all problems and thorough code checking is necessary. Manual checking is very time consuming and results in loss of concentration thereby impacting accuracy. The cost of a competent programmer's time to execute a program by program, line by line check is prohibitively expensive for larger applications. A more targeted check is required and therefore the Revelation SCANY2K application has been developed for this purpose.

As well as code scan capability, the SCANY2K application offers the following features.

* Item prioritization for checking purposes

* Creation of a comprehensive application cross-reference file

* Identification of missing application components such as source code and data files

* Identification of active items

* Identification of redundant components

* Documentation of logic paths

* Source code to object code matching

* Ability to tailor the scan to suit requirements

The prioritization feature will identify any major problem areas within hours and audit accuracy will be increased by providing a structure to work within.

The SCANY2K application is offered free to non-profit organisations and for use with smaller applications. Our very comprehensive manual is also offered free and includes much of what you need to know about performing a successful Year 2000 audit. This information is relevant whether or not the scan software is used and is recommended reading for anyone responsible for the continued viability of PICK (and in particular Revelation) applications.

For further information, please contact our USA representatives, Diamond Lake Systems (email: jcasilio@diamond-lake.com) or visit our web site at URL:

http://www.ts.co.nz/~finsol/scan.htm

Diamond Lake Systems will be presenting a talk on multi-value environments and Y2K issues at the 18th annual International Spectrum Conference & Exhibition to be held in Reno, Nevada, Tuesday-Friday,February 23-26, 1999. If you will be attending, please ensure you contact them regarding special discount rates offered to conference attendees when purchasing the SCANY2K software.

Jocelyn Amon

Managing Director

Financial Solutions Limited

Nelson, New Zealand

64-3-548 4442

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