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Comment: |
Everyone has targeted December, 1998, as the deadline for completing code revisions, meaning stage one. Then testing will begin. I ask: On what unused mainframe capacity? On what leased mainframes? But even if they all complete their initial fix by late 1998, their problems will still be there.
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Cap Gemini estimates that for each 10 million lines of code, the Y2K fixes will introduce 1,200 new defects. The high rate of new defects is due to the insidious nature of the Y2K problem -- a lot of logic is based on date calculations, often in indirect ways -- in addition to the normal incidence of errors introduced during a revision. Based on these estimates, USAA, with 50 million lines of code, will have to find, fix, and re-test 6,000 bugs plus thoroughly testing Y2K compliance. . . .
Organizations will need, at the least, to dedicate significant processing power and data storage capacity to the test operation. How much space you will need will depend on what you need to test and the size of your data set. But for efficient testing, organizations will want to set up a fully functional, dedicated Y2K test factory to handle the high volume of testing required; this facility should be independent of operational systems. The factory consists of sufficient dedicated system resources, a library of reusable test scripts, appropriate baselines and data sets, test tools, and dedicated staff.
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