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The following lists a number of the important questions we feel Sage customers will want answered in relation to the Year 2000. Click on the Go symbol to view the solution to a question. To return to the list, click on any Q symbol.
Note: if there are other questions you would like answered, then e-mail Sage with your query on year2000@sage.com.
Question
Go
What is the Year 2000 'problem'?

What is Sage doing about the problem?

Is it just a software problem?

Should I test my computer(s) to ensure that they will work up to, during and beyond 2000?

Are there any programs or tools which can test my hardware for Year 2000 compliance?

Our PCs are attached to a network. Each PC obtains its date and time from the main 'server' PC. Provided the server is Year 2000 compliant, surely it doesn't matter whether the individual PCs are as well?

Will the Year 2000 problem affect all software running on my PC(s)?

I have read conflicting reports over whether the Year 2000 is a leap year. Is this so? What effect will this have on my business?

When will Sage's product range be fully compliant?

What is the situation regarding Multisoft products?

Our dealer has made amendments to our Sage Line 100 system. Will we be able to carry on using our Line 100 system into and beyond the Year 2000?

I have a Sage add-on product which links to my Sage software. How do I find out if this is Year 2000 compliant?

How will my other IT equipment be affected?

What should I do now?



What is the Year 2000 'problem'?
The Year 2000 'problem', as it is commonly known, is a design limitation rather than a virus or a bug.
It is caused by the fact that dates have traditionally been represented in most computer systems in the form DDMMYY (i.e. the year is represented by 2 digits, the century value being assumed.) So far, in the brief history of computers, there hasn't been a change of century, so this has not mattered for most applications.
However, for proper calculations in the Year 2000 and beyond 4 digits are required for the year. When the year 2000 is entered, for example, as "00", some hardware and software may interpret this as 1900 while others will interpret it as 2000.


What is Sage doing about this problem?
Sage has been actively working on the Year 2000 problem since early 1996, and is totally committed to making its customers' accounting solutions Year 2000 compliant, as defined by the British Standards Institution's document DISC PD2000-1 A Definition of Year 2000 Conformity Requirements.In summary, the rules for compliance are:
No value for current date will cause any interruption in operation.
Date-based functionality must behave consistently for dates prior to, during and after Year 2000.
In all interfaces and data storage, the century in any date must be specified either explicitly or by unambiguous algorithms or inferencing rules.
Year 2000 must be recognised as a leap year.
This will ensure that the performance and functionality of Sage software will not be affected by dates prior to, during and after the Year 2000.
Sage is contacting all of its customers directly in order to assess their exact Year 2000 requirements, and ensure that their Sage software will continue to provide them with the best accounting solution in the next Millennium


Is this just a software problem?
The PC has its very own Year 2000 hardware problem. Users of PC's may encounter problems with the BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) or the CMOS Real Time Clock (RTC). In many instances the system date will reset to 1900 when the PC reaches the year 2000. While most PC's can be manually corrected, this still relies on users remembering to adjust all of their PC's. In some cases, this routine would need to be performed each time the PC was switched on.
In the majority of cases this problem is by no means 'terminal'; it can be remedied in one of the following ways:
change the date manually using the MS-DOS "date" command. This should be a once-only fix.
obtain new BIOS software from the PC vendor. This solution is most applicable in those cases where the PC's date cannot be changed manually.
Customers who choose this option will need to contact the PC manufacturer. If they don't know who the manufacturer is, they should contact Sage and we will put them in touch with their nearest Sage Year 2000 Qualified Reseller, who can advise them on the best action to take.
load a utility which fixes the BIOS problem. There are various utilities available which will check the PC for Year 2000 compliance. Many of these tools will offer the option to fix the problem, if encountered. (See Q 5)
In a minority of cases, there is also the possibility that the PC can't be 'corrected'.


Should I test my computer(s) to ensure that they will work up to, during and beyond 2000?
It is vitally important that your PC's are checked, but we only recommend that you do this on a test system. Even if your PC's do roll-over to the year 2000 without any problems, you may find that this simulated date change impacts on other applications running on your PC. For example, any software with expiry dates could become disabled; scheduling software could automatically archive important appointments; email could be automatically deleted as the software believes that it is no longer required.


Are there any programs or tools which can test my hardware for Year 2000 compliance?
There are numerous auditing tools available which scan PC's to establish whether they will operate satisfactorily up to, during and beyond the Year 2000. Each of these performs different tests, and many appear to provide contradictory results; as such, we are not in a position to recommend any particular product. However, in the Contacts section we have detailed some useful web sites, including sites where free evaluation copies of auditing toolkits are available for download. In addition we have included contact details of some hardware and software manufacturers , most of whom have areas dedicated to the Year 2000 'issue'.


Our PC's are attached to a network. Each PC obtains it's date and time from the main 'server' PC. Provided the server is Year 2000 compliant, surely it doesn't matter whether the individual PC's are as well?
Ideally each PC should be OK; however, what happens if the network or the server is 'down'? The individual PC's will rely on their own clock for the date and time. If the PC isn't Year 2000 compliant then you still have a problem.
In addition, some PC's may have applications loaded onto their 'local' hard disk. If the PC is not capable of operating during and beyond the Year 2000, these applications may fail.
Once again this emphasises the need to ensure that all PC's are compliant.



Will the Year 2000 problem affect all software running on my PC's?
There is a common misconception that software which doesn't use dates will not be affected. Unfortunately this is not the case. Some applications, such as shareware, are configured to 'time-out' after a certain date.


I have read conflicting reports over whether the Year 2000 is a Leap Year. Is this so? What effect will this have on my business?
The Year 2000 is a leap year. If any of your applications do not recognise this and miss February 29th 2000, they will be a day ahead from then on.


When will Sage's product range be fully compliant?
The table below lists Sage's product range, indicating when compliant versions will be available. Please note: it can be assumed that any products NOT listed below are NOT Year 2000-compliant.
Product Name
Version
Available When?
Instant '97
Instant '98
Now
*Line 50 (DOS)
9
Now
*Line 50 (Windows)
4.1
Now
**Line 50 (Prestige)
8
Now
*Line 100 (DOS)
5.4
Now
*Line 100 (Windows) Financials
2
Now
**Line 100 (Premier)
8
Now
*Line 100 (UNIX)
5.4a
Now
Instant Payroll
4
Now
Sterling Payroll (DOS)
9
Now
Sage Payroll (Windows)
4
Now
Sterling Job-Costing
9.00
Now
Telemagic UK (DOS)
9.00
Now
Telemagic Professional (DOS)
14.5
Now
Telemagic Professional (Windows)
4
Now
Telemagic Enterprise (Windows)
3.5
Now
Timeslips Deluxe (Windows)
TBA
'98
Audit 2000
1.25s
Now
* Sage Line 50 was formerly known as Sage Sterling and Sage Line 100 was formerly Sage Sovereign.
** Sage Line 50 (Prestige) was formerly known as Multisoft Prestige and Sage Line 100 (Premier) was formerly Multisoft Premier.


Our dealer has made amendments to our Sage Line 100 system. Will we be able to carry on using our Line 100 system into and beyond the Year 2000?
Sage is contacting all Line 100 resellers and developers advising them of issues relating to the Year 2000. While the Line 100 System Manager module will continue to process well into 2000 and beyond, we cannot account for individual amendments or enhancements carried-out by dealers or developers. We are therefore taking steps to ensure that all dealers and developers are fully equipped to carry out any further work required to ensure that their add-on modules are also Year 2000 compliant.
We recommend that you contact your Sage reseller to discuss what steps they can take to help you ensure that your system will continue to operate into 2000 and beyond.


I have a Sage add-on product which links to my Sage software. How do I find out if this is Year 2000 compliant?
There are many third-party software vendors currently producing add-on applications which link to Sage software. As these products are not produced and maintained by Sage, we recommend that you contact the supplier and ask them to confirm whether these applications will perform correctly up to, during and after the Year 2000.


How will my other IT equipment be affected?
Many peripherals contain clocks and date processing software; examples include modems, network servers, add-in cards, answer machines (i.e. those that add automatic date & time stamps to phone calls), fax machines.
We recommend that you contact the manufacturer or supplier of such equipment, requesting some form of guarantee or warranty with regard to this issue.


What should I do now?
DON'T PANIC!!
Sage has been contacting all of its customers directly, since October 1997, in order to assess their exact Year 2000 requirements and ensure that their Sage software will continue to provide them with the best accounting solution in the next Millennium.
They have been conducting training workshops for our resellers and Solution Centres, advising them of the issues relating to the Year 2000 and, more importantly, how they can help customers ensure that their systems are fully compliant and ready for the Year 2000.

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