IBM issues 'Big Number' phone warning

IBM has warned UK relational database users to take action now to avoid being plagued by problems related to the new telephone codes which come into effect on 22 April.

The company is advising businesses to use an information cleaning product from UK start-up Number Master to ensure that all phone numbers stored in databases are in the correct format.

Nick Burrell, IBM UK marketing manager for DB2, said: "We are not reselling the Number Master solution, but advising our customers to use it. It applies to all relational databases, not just DB2."

He added: "We found Number Master was appropriate for not just large organisations, but also some of the smaller groups who've got telephone numbers stored as part of their database, because they find they may not have the resource to actually develop an in-house solution to the number change problem."

Users concerned that they may be affected can either go to the Web site, or order a CD from the company to download software which will work out how many records need to be changed.

Jonathan Symons, MD of Number Master, said: "After that, users can buy a licence just for the records that are wrong. We reckon we offer an 80 per cent saving on companies doing it manually or writing their own code."

Number Master says prices vary. For example, it will cost £450 to change 30 per cent of a database containing 10,000 numbers.

Number Master sells direct from its Web site, or through resellers such as Personic. As well as DB2, the software works with database technology that is part of ACT!, Goldmine, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft SQL Server, as well as products from Informix, Oracle and Sybase.

On 22 April there will be a total of 180 changes to codes for landline, mobile and pager numbers, which mean all businesses having to alter some of the numbers they have stored. The Big Number changes will affect people calling Northern Ireland, London, Coventry, Portsmouth, Southampton and Cardiff.