Statistical programs
Researchers and others using statistical programs are vulnerable to three
types of Y2K problems:
- Some versions of statistical programs, including BMDP and most versions
of SPSS, are not Y2K-compliant. (Upgrades should be obtained from the vendor.)
- SAS "applications," SPSS "programs," and other custom-written statistical
programs could have Y2K problems when performing calculations involving date
values. Such calculations include comparing dates, computing the duration
between dates, and identifying the day of the week. (Custom-written code
should be reviewed.)
- Dates input or stored with two-digit years can be misinterpreted by
statistical programs, causing incorrect results. For example, some
statistical programs assume that the date "02/18/00" means February 18,
1900. (If possible, all dates should be changed so they have four digits
for the year. Added November 30, 1999: Otherwise,
workarounds to allow safe handling of two-digit year
dates are available for several stat packages. See below for links discussing
these workarounds.)
The document
Campus Researchers: Specific Y2K Computer Concerns
, at:
http://y2k.berkeley.edu/computers/fixpcs/issues/researchers.html#Stat
discusses these three problems. It also has links to other web sites, such
as a UCLA site that extensively discusses Y2K issues with SAS, SPSS, and Stata.
Related information:
Is your research data at risk from Y2K?"
, at:
http://istpub.berkeley.edu/bcc/Summer99/y2k.aron.html
Feedback and questions regarding this Y2K Computer Advisory are welcomed,
and should be sent to
y2k-advisories-feedback@uclink.berkeley.edu.