Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
We need an effective method for storing dates in computers in an era where
unlimited optical storage is the rule. Storing dates and printing them or displaying
them are not the same issue.
Many standard date formats attempt to use the same format for both date stor-
age and for date representation. This triggers unexpected problems for computers
and software. If we can develop an effective storage method for dates and time,
then we can display and print the information in any format that we choose.
Let us design a computerized date-storage format that can last indefinitely, sup-
port scientific as well as business dates and time, and support all of the older date-
format variants. As the situation now stands, there are no current or proposed date
standards by ISO or anyone else that are fully adequate even for business if it is
transacted by computers, to say nothing of scientific purposes.
Under current date formats, it is almost impossible to utilize technologies such
as data mining and online analytical processing (OLAP) for scientific data as-
sociated with geology, archaeology, or astronomy. This is because the dates in-
volved exceed the ranges of standard date formats and, in many cases, they exceed
the date-handling ability of normal business software applications such as spread-
sheets and database packages.
Adding extra key digits to date formats in computers would allow any conceiv-
able date format to be included in the general schema so that geologic and astro-
nomical time, Julian dates, the Chinese calendar, the Jewish calendar, or even the
Aztec calendar could be utilized as needed.
The date key would not have to be printed or appear onscreen, but the presence
of a date key would enable software applications to handle calendar calculations
with far greater ease and flexibility than has ever been possible since computers
became business and scientific tools.
It should be noted that the general solution of using a key field to identify which
specific numeric or alphanumeric format follows can be used to deal with other
problems besides dates. This same method might be used to handle the interna-
tional variations in zip code formats or the international variations used for social
security numbers (or their equivalent) in other countries.
An expanded date format would require changes to software applications and
databases and would be expensive to implement. But between the Y2K problem,
the UNIX date rollover, and other date problems, we are already going to spend
several billions of dollars in software date changes, so we might as well invest in
a permanent solution.
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