Originally Posted by Lost_Luggage_in_SEA

I agree that "something else happened" after DL's IT guys fixed the crew scheduling system code and restored the database from a backup and that something else is the reason DL has/had so many more problems compared to other airlines. I also think it's very unlikely that DL had no database backup. However, I find it entirely possible that DL's crew scheduling database backup turned out to be corrupt and this is why DL needed to ask their crew to input their location, nearest airport etc. as if DL have to rebuild the database from scratch.

The solution to this is more redundancy, more testing and more skilled IT guys who are employed by DL and not some cheapo offshore contractor as many others have said. However, this stuff is difficult and expensive, which is why many companies including my former employer didn't do it and hoped for the best.

[Full disclosure: I retired several years ago but I used to run IT for a small consulting firm. I always tried to make sure my employer was on the trailing edge of technology because that has way more bug fixes than the leading edge. Therefore, my knowledge has always been out of date and I welcome correction from people closer to the current leading edge.]