spring ahead ... three weeks early

New Start for Daylight Saving Time

By now most everybody is aware that the dates for starting and stopping Daylight Saving Time have changed. DST is extended by three weeks in the spring, and by one week in the fall. This year DST will start on Sunday 11 March 2007, and end on Sunday 4 November 2007.

By far one of the hottest helpdesk questions we've been getting recently has been with regard to the upcoming change in the start date of Daylight Saving Time. The question is usually phrased as "Is there a patch to Advanced Tracker software for DST?", or "Is there anything special I need to do because of the change of DST date?"

The short answer to both questions is NO.

From our point of view, this Daylight Saving Time event is like all others. The fact that the start date has changed is almost irrelevant. The same principles that have applied for years regarding DST continue to apply.

Windows

As long as your computers have the latest Microsoft patches, the computer's time will change automatically at 2:00 AM local time on Sunday 11 March (or at 0:01 AM in Newfoundland and New Brunswick). See the Microsoft Daylight Saving Time web resources if you are unsure whether your computers are patched: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst . If your computer cannot be patched, you will need to change the time manually.

Advanced Tracker Software

There are no patches or new versions of Advanced Tracker programs because of DST. Our software takes its date and time from the computer it is running on. As long as that computer's version of Windows changes the time correctly, or the time has been changed manually, Advanced Tracker software will pick up the correct time when it runs.

Scan Hardware and Software

Another common question is whether your data collection hardware will change its time automatically. Most of the devices display the date and time, and that is the date and time that will be applied to any scans received from the device, so it is important that the device be kept in sync with local time.

All the devices we sell can have their time regulated from the server (whichever computer communicates with the device to do the retrieval). That means that as the server changes its time, the Advanced Tracker retrieval software can update the time on the device. Each device has its own method of keeping in sync with the computer. Some are automatic, while others are optional. Some are immediate; others happen with the next retrieval cycle.

If you have a reason for not keeping the device synchronized with the computer system's time, then you will need to update the time on the device manually. This may be the case if you need the time clock to be a few minutes offset from the real time, or if you have devices in a different time zone from the computer that supplies the time. Contact our helpdesk if you need assistance.

24×7 Operations

Most companies do not have employees working during the time change. In fact, the reason why the time change happens during the early hours of a Sunday is because that is when the fewest people are working, and therefore when the fewest disruptions are likely to occur.

Nonetheless, there are some companies that must keep running around the clock. For example, health care facilities, and manufacturing operations where equipment must never be stopped. In these situations, a question arises: what do you do in a "24 hour" operation when the day that DST starts has only 23 hours, and the day that DST ends has 25 hours? More to the point, how much do you pay an employee who has worked through the time change?

For example, if the employee clocks in at 10:00 PM and clocks out at 6:00 AM, normally that is an eight-hour shift. But if DST started during that shift, the employee will have actually been working for only seven hours, even though the scan times will still be 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM. Employee Tracker or Shop/Labor Tracker will see this as being an eight-hour shift. Whether you pay the employee seven hours or eight depends entirely on your company policy or union agreement. To pay the employee eight hours, there is nothing you need to do. But to pay the employee for only seven hours (or nine hours in the fall), you must override the Time value of the shift.

Change Your Smoke Alarm Batteries

An easy way to remember to change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors is to change them when you change your clocks for Daylight Saving Time. While you're at it, you may want to prepare or restock an emergency supply kit for your office, home or vehicle, and check and discard expired medications.

press * now if you have a rotary phone ;^)

Telephone System Is Working Again

We thank you for your patience with us last week while our telephone answering system was out of order. Everything is back to normal now.

Our telephone extensions are still the same. You can see a full contact list on the web.

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