FMS Releases Year 2000 Tool for Microsoft Access

New Product Detects Y2K Issues in Most Popular PC Database

VIENNA, Va., July 28, 1998 -- FMS, the leading third party developer of Microsoft® Access products, announces the release of TOTAL ACCESS INSPECTOR 2000, a new product that finds Year 2000 (Y2K) issues in custom Microsoft Access databases. Microsoft has acknowledged Y2K issues can exist in databases created in all versions of Access, the leading database program for Windows.

As Microsoft does not currently provide a Y2K tool for Access, FMS' Total Access Inspector 2000 is the only Y2K tool designed specifically for Access. It examines all areas of Access databases including tables, data, queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules. An on-line help system discusses how to deal with and fix specific Y2K issues, and fifty different reports are included to pinpoint problems and prepare databases for 2000.

"Developers are beginning to recognize the complexity and seriousness of Y2K issues in their Access databases," said Luke Chung, President of FMS. "Every Access database can be made Y2K compliant. Our product simplifies the enormous tasks many developers face finding and fixing date problems to meet this goal."

Giga Information Group Industry Analyst, Kazim Isfahani states, "IT managers are realizing the enormity of the task facing them in the distributed arena. Detecting and eradicating the Year 2000 problem in an uncontrolled environment is leaving many companies at a loss about how to begin. Total Access Inspector 2000 provides a focused starting point, and gives companies a leg up in tackling their Access databases."

By default, Access uses two-digit years and in some cases, ignores century information. Since Access is typically heavily customized, many problems may exist if a developer did not consider Y2K issues. For compliance, Access developers must identify all date usage and verify four-digit years are used to view, enter, print, import, export, and programmatically manipulate dates.

Microsoft Access Group Program Manager Dan Bien added, "Access Developers need to be prepared for the year 2000. No matter how compliant a product is, the possibility exists that developers can use it to create a non-compliant solution," said Bien. "As a software tool designed specifically to address Year 2000 and other date-related considerations in Access, Total Access Inspector 2000 helps developers identify the compliance of the solutions they build."

A beta version of Total Access Inspector 2000 has been available for several months and the feedback from customers has validated the need for the product. For example, James Carney in the Risk Asset Review group of Wells Fargo Bank remarks, "We are going to recommend Total Access Inspector 2000 to our Information Systems Group, which supports the bank's IS issues and Y2K committee."

Stephen Rosenbach, programmer for Baltimore Gas and Electric, mentions that "Total Access Inspector 2000 pointed out how one or two of my custom modules could have caused Y2K problems."

As the leader in researching Y2K issues in Access, FMS offers a free white paper that is considered the definitive analysis for Y2K issues in Access and Office from the company's web site (http://www.fmsinc.com). The web site also includes a complete list of reports and items detected by Total Access Inspector 2000.

Total Access Inspector 2000 is the tenth product in FMS' award-winning line of Total Access products and is licensed on a per developer basis and
available for Access 2.0 and Access 97. Either Access version is $499, or $799 for both versions. Total Access Inspector 2000 is available directly
from FMS and most corporate resellers.

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