Business Objects to Ship New Version of Leading Integrated Query, Reporting, and OLAP Tool; New Features Include On-Report Analysis, Intelligent Agents, and New Products and Features To Support a Broader Range of Users Throughout the Enterprise

Business Wire, Sept 15, 1997

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 1997--Business Objects (NASDAQ:BOBJY), the world's leading provider of integrated enterprise decision support tools, today announced a new version of its flagship product, BusinessObjects 4.1.

The new version includes enhancements to the core product, new intelligent agent functionality, and new products and features to better support the broad range of users across the enterprise.

BusinessObjects 4.1 is a maintenance release of BusinessObjects 4.0, the industry's leading integrated query, reporting, and online analytical processing (OLAP) solution. BusinessObjects 4.1 is based upon the results of extensive customer feedback and useability testing, and sets new standards for ease of use, performance, and enterprise deployability.

BusinessObjects 4.1 Enhancements

The new release builds upon the innovation delivered in BusinessObjects 4.0, which was the world's first product to integrate query, reporting, and OLAP into a single tool. BusinessObjects 4.1 extends this with a host of new enhancements, including:

-- On-Report Analysis. End users will now be able to perform analysis directly on reports to get instant insight into their data. For example, users can graphically pivot tabular reports into matrix reports (i.e., crosstabs) with a simple drag and drop.

-- Enhanced Web Publishing. BusinessObjects 4.1 web publishing has been extended to provide on-report navigation capabilities for users who view reports via the worldwide web.

-- Streamlined Administration. BusinessObjects 4.1 delivers several enhancements to the graphical administration and security tools introduced with version 4. The product continues to import metadata from data warehouses, data marts, and CASE tools. New metadata bridges are now available to Prism and Informatica. The administration tools also include new security features such as advanced password management.

-- Increased Performance. BusinessObjects 4.1 performance tests show average performance increases of 20% on Windows 95 and 40% on Windows 3.1. Peak performance increases of up to 500% have been achieved on specific configurations, such as Windows 3.1 on Microsoft SQL Server.

-- Automatic Formatting. BusinessObjects 4.1 allows users to utilize predefined report formats, allowing them to deliver professional looking reports more quickly.

New Intelligent Agents

BusinessObjects 4.1 now offers intelligent agents, which check pre-set business rules or conditions on a regular basis and notify users when changes occur. For example, "if the current sales forecast is 10% less than the previous forecast, then inform the sales manager." The agents run on the BusinessObjects Document Agent Server.

"We are very impressed with 4.1, especially the increased ease of use and performance. In addition, the new intelligent agent feature is outstanding, allowing us to automate report processing. With BusinessObjects 4.1, our chemists can get the information they need, when they need it, and in the format they want -- which minimizes product manufacturing turnaround time," said Aaron Jones, laboratory information management systems manager, Mallinkrodt Inc., a global manufacturer and marketer of healthcare products, and laboratory and microelectronic chemicals.

New Product Options for Broader Enterprise Coverage

BusinessObjects 4.1 offers broader enterprise coverage through the introduction of several new products and features, including:

-- New Production Reporting Modules. BusinessObjects Reader and BusinessObjects Driller are new product modules available for users who need to read reports but do not require the ability to do ad hoc query. BusinessObjects Reader provides read-only capabilities. BusinessObjects Driller enables end users to read and drill into pre-defined reports.

-- OLAP Access Packs. BusinessObjects users can now access and analyze data stored in Arbor Essbase and Oracle Express multidimensional servers and combine it with data from other sources, such as relational or personal data. (Editor's note: please see related press release dated September 15, 1997).

-- Application Development for Executive Information System (EIS) Users. BusinessObjects 4.1 is an OLE Automation server. Using Visual Basic, Visual C , or Visual Basic for Applications in Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word, application developers can build applications that drive BusinessObjects. This allows for customized reporting and analysis applications, such as executive briefing books. This feature is of special interest to value-added resellers of BusinessObjects, who want to build query, reporting, and analysis functionality into their applications.

"Business Objects has significantly enhanced ease-of-use and deployability with 4.1," said Robert Craig, director of the Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence Service at Hurwitz Group, Inc. "On-report analysis will allow users to more directly explore their data on a fully-formatted report. And the new intelligent agents allow users to automate response to certain business conditions, freeing them up to focus on other tasks. With this release Business Objects continues to provide significant value to its customers."