Great Plains Software and Btrieve Technologies Join Forces to Tightly Integrate Industry Standard Accounting and Database Products; Dynamics Implementation Simplified on Btrieve Database Engines for Windows NT and NetWare

Business Wire, Nov 20, 1995

FARGO, N.D.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 1995-- Great Plains Software and Btrieve Technologies, Inc. today announced an agreement to distribute and more tightly integrate Btrieve database engines with Dynamics and Dynamics C/S , Great Plains' 32-bit suites of Windows(R) client/server accounting and financial management applications. Beginning in Q1 1996, Great Plains will provide a one-stop shop for all the components necessary to implement Dynamics or Dynamics C/S financial applications running on either Btrieve for NetWare or Btrieve for Windows NT databases. In addition, both companies will continue cooperative efforts to more tightly integrate their products, resulting in easier implementation of Dynamics - the industry standard Windows accounting solution for small to medium sized businesses.

"Due to its high performance, programming control and maintenance free operations, Btrieve has long been the industry standard navigational, client/server database engine bundled with commercial accounting solutions," said Ron Harris, president and CEO of Btrieve Technologies, Inc. "By adding support for Windows NT and developing a tightly integrated solution with the leading accounting package for Windows, Great Plains Dynamics, BTI continues to meet the changing needs of the client/server accounting market."

"Great Plains Software has been developing accounting applications based upon Btrieve technologies longer than any other vendor and today has the leading marketshare of all Btrieve based accounting products," said Ray August, chief technology officer at Great Plains Software. "Tightly integrating and delivering the latest releases of Btrieve for Windows NT and Btrieve for NetWare with the Dynamics Product Family is a natural extension of our long standing relationship and the preferred Dynamics configuration for multi-user customers running Windows 95, Windows NT or Windows 3.1 clients."

Great Plains Dynamics and Dynamics C/S

Great Plains Dynamics is the industry-standard Windows accounting solution for small to medium businesses migrating to Windows from traditional DOS systems. Dynamics has considerable recognition with a 74% marketshare in Windows accounting and the recent awarding of PC Magazine Editors' Choice in the October 10, 1995 issue.

Great Plains Dynamics C/S is the leading Windows NT three-tier client/server solution for businesses downsizing from minicomputers or upsizing from LAN systems to client/server configurations. Introduced in 1994, Dynamics C/S offers a multi-database architecture allowing customers to choose from industry leading databases such as Btrieve Technologies' Btrieve for Windows NT and Microsoft's SQL Server 6.0.

Both Dynamics and Dynamics C/S support the entire family of Microsoft Windows desktop environments, as well as Macintosh and Power Macintosh clients. Microsoft Windows NT can be run as both client and server operating systems on either product. Dynamics also supports NetWare as a server platform, while Dynamics C/S offers UNIX server support.

BTI's Btrieve Database Engine

Btrieve is the de-facto industry standard database used by commercial developers to build mission critical applications using third, fourth, and fifth generation languages. As the industry's first navigational client/server database, Btrieve provides a maximum degree of programming control and high performance. Built on BTI's MicroKernal Database Engine, Scalable SQL and Btrieve applications can access all data concurrently.

Btrieve Technologies and Great Plains Software

BTI is a leading provider of information management systems for commercial developers. BTI's mission is to provide embeddable database technology to commercial developers for the deployment of client/server applications to mass markets. Built to be bundled in commercial applications, BTI products -- Scalable SQL and Btrieve -- are designed to meet the requirements of commercial developers by providing high performance, seamless scalability, maintenance free operations, and mass deployment licensing. Scalable SQL, BTI's relational product line, provides the freedom to scale SQL applications from mobile systems to full client/server configurations, as well as "set it and forget it" operations and maximum resource efficiency. BTI has received many industry awards including the DB EXPO RealWare Award, as well as the BYTE Magazine's Readers Choice Awards. Headquartered in Austin, TX, BTI is an international organization with operations in Europe and Japan. BTI's Japanese subsidiary -- Btrieve Technologies, Japan, LTD -- is a joint venture with several companies, including Novell Japan, LTD.

Great Plains Software develops, markets, and supports accounting and financial-management software worldwide. The multinational company -- with overseas offices serving 27 countries -- offers solutions ranging from midrange client/server systems to small business integrated accounting software. IDC recently ranked Great Plains among the top five vendors of client/server financial applications worldwide. Great Plains was founded in 1981 and is privately owned.