June 23, 1997

For Immediate Release
Contact:


EMPRESS LAUNCHES DB USERS INTO YEAR 2000 AND BEYOND


Date Variables and Microsecond Timestamps: Year 2000 Compliancy

June 23, 1997 -- Greenbelt, MD. -- Empress' advanced design easily enables users of its database system to input time and date data beyond the year 2000. A user can enter the year with either two digits or all four and the Empress RDBMS will internally store this data as four digits. If only two digits are entered, the other two digits can be specified by an environment variable called MSDATELIMIT. Every Empress date data type is stored in this four digit universal date format. This format maintains accuracy in performing calculations, comparisons and conversions involving dates.

Additionally, for time data, Empress features a new Microsecond Timestamp. The Microsecond Timestamp also handles dates beyond 2000 using four digits. It can store and retrieve the occurrence of real-time system events down to a millionth of a second. A user can easily switch from the Empress time data type to the Microsecond Timestamp by using the alter table command.

"Empress delivers an RDBMS which is year 2000 compliant. From the beginning, the ability of our database to store four digits has been a standard feature," states Empress Software's Director of Product Development, Njai Wong. "We had the foresight to realize the importance of developing software which would work for our customers well into the future."

Converting to using the Microsecond Timestamp and specifying the MSDATELIMIT variable may easily be done by the customer. However, should customers under maintenance want additional assistance, Empress provides consulting and training services in modifying applications to use the full four digits for the year. Also, as part of the maintenance program, customers receive regular software upgrades. This includes Empress' newest release, Empress RDBMS V6.10, which features the Microsecond Timestamp.

Empress Software develops and supports the Empress Relational Database Management System. The Empress RDBMS V6.10 is one of the most powerful and cost-effective development databases available for scientific and engineering organizations using Unix, Windows or real-time environments. Empress RDBMS V6.10 is capable of managing text and multimedia data in the most demanding applications such as weather forecasting, space exploration, flight simulation and geographical information systems. Embedded systems applications include image and voice management, telecommunications, medical systems and network management.

For more information about Empress, please call 301-220-1919, check our web site at www.empress.com, send e-mail to sales@empress.com, or write to us at: 


Empress Software Inc.                 Empress Software Inc.
3100 Steeles Ave East                 6401 Golden Triangle Drive
Markham, Ontario, Canada              Greenbelt, MD 20770, USA
Phone: (905) 513-8888                 Phone: (301) 220-1919
Fax:   (905) 513-1668                 Fax:   (301) 220-1997
http://www.empress.com/               http://www.empress.com/
sales@empress.com                     sales@empress.com