Business Objects to Provide Powerful, Safe Access Solution for SAP R/3 Data; Leading decision support tools vendor to provide starter kit for integrated query, reporting, and OLAP on SAP R/3 Information Systems

Business Wire, May 8, 1996

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 1996--Business Objects (NASDAQ: BOBJY), the world's leading provider of integrated query, reporting, and online analytical processing (OLAP) tools today announced its starter kit for accessing SAP R/3 data.

Dubbed the Universe Developer's Kit (UDK) for SAP R/3, the product provides customers with a template BUSINESSOBJECTS "universe" for rapid setup and deployment of BUSINESSOBJECTS on top of SAP applications. A universe is a BUSINESSOBJECTS semantic layer that shields end users from database complexity, allowing them to easily access, analyze, and report on data without having to understand complex database language.

The BUSINESSOBJECTS UDK for SAP R/3 consists of BUSINESSOBJECTS classes, objects, and reports that provide mainstream business users with business-intelligent query, reporting, and OLAP against SAP R/3 data. BUSINESSOBJECTS 4.0 is an integrated query, reporting, and OLAP tool that helps mainstream users make better business decisions on information stored in corporate databases, data warehouses, and packaged applications such as SAP. The UDK for SAP R/3 is currently in beta testing, and is scheduled for availability in June 1996.

Business Objects and SAP worked together on this UDK at Shell International, joint customer of the two companies. In February of this year Shell and Business Objects announced that they signed a contract that allows up to 10,000 Shell users to take advantage of Business Objects decision support software.

Andy Hayler, Principal Consultant from Shell International commented, "We're very pleased that Business Objects and SAP are working together to integrate their products -- we see considerable business benefit from the two products working closely together."

The BUSINESSOBJECTS UDK for SAP R/3 provides BUSINESSOBJECTS users with a template containing predefined metadata that enables access to information stored in SAP's logistics information system (LIS). LIS is a component of SAP's Open Information Warehouse, a real-time data warehouse that provides online decision support information with updated data continuously and automatically supplied from SAP production databases. LIS is one of a number of information systems provided by SAP that stores data separately from the transactional parts of R/3.

"Business Objects is right on target with its strategy for supporting query, reporting, and OLAP against packaged applications from one single tool," said Henry Morris, manager for Applications and Information Access research at IDC. "Ever since Business Objects released its first application-specific template for a packaged application, Business Objects has been a leader in providing access to the increasing amount of data stored in today's packaged applications."

Business Objects Supports SAP's Business API

In addition to the UDK, Business Objects will offer SAP customers integration between SAP and BUSINESSOBJECTS by supporting SAP's Business API and Open Information Warehouse when it becomes available. "Business Objects is committed to providing SAP customers the best possible integration between SAP and BUSINESSOBJECTS," said Bernard Liautaud, president and CEO of Business Objects. "We endorse and support their API and Open Information Warehouse, and believe it will provide customers with tremendous benefits."

"We are pleased to be working with SAP on integrating our products, to give customers their tool of choice for integrated query, reporting, and OLAP," said Denis Payre, chief operating officer of Business Objects. "From one single tool, SAP customers will be able to `slice and dice' and `drill down' on their SAP applications data, helping them answer their important business questions."

"We are excited that Business Objects is providing their powerful solution for integrated query, reporting, and OLAP against the SAP Open Information Warehouse," said Dr. Heinz Haefner, development manager at SAP AG. "SAP and Business Objects are committed to projects at joint customers focusing on decision support, which will eventually lead to an integration via an open Business API for the Open Information Warehouse."

About Business Objects

Business Objects (NASDAQ:BOBJY) is the world's leading supplier of integrated query, reporting, and OLAP. The company's flagship product, BUSINESSOBJECTS, provides mainstream business users with access to information stored in corporate databases, data warehouses, and packaged applications. The company pioneered the market for business-intelligent decision support tools in 1990 by introducing the first product to use a "semantic layer" to map complex database schemas to a business representation understandable by non-technical end users.

Business Objects generated over $60M in revenue in 1995, concluding its fifth consecutive year of more than 100% revenue growth. BUSINESSOBJECTS has been licensed in more than 50 countries to over 2,900 customer sites and 160,000 users worldwide. Business Objects partners with more than 350 leading third-party vendors including Arbor Software, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Informix, Microsoft, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Prism, Red Brick, Sun, and Sybase. Strategic resellers include Bull, Digital, Fujitsu, NCR, Price Waterhouse, Sequent, SHL, Siemens Nixdorf, Toshiba, and Unisys. More information on Business Objects can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.businessobjects.com. -0-