Ardent Software Provides Key Component for PeopleSoft's Enterprise Performance Management Suite

Business Wire, Feb 22, 1999

WESTBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 1999--

DataStage Certified to Provide Data Extraction, Transformation

and Loading for Analytic Solutions

Ardent Software, Inc., (Nasdaq:ARDT) a leading global data management software company, today announced extended certification as a PeopleSoft Enterprise Performance Management solution partner. DataStage(R), Ardent's extraction, transformation and loading (ETL) tool, will provide PeopleSoft customers with the capabilities to efficiently transfer data into PeopleSoft's Enterprise Warehouse from multiple sources, including legacy systems, data marts and other PeopleSoft applications.

PeopleSoft's Enterprise Performance Management enables users to make better strategic business decisions by bringing together operational and financial information in order to increase customer satisfaction, optimize ROI, effectively manage risk, maximize profitability, and reduce organizational costs. This full business solution begins by populating the PeopleSoft Enterprise Warehouse with data from multiple sources. The process is executed using extract, transform and load technology from partner tools such as Ardent's DataStage.

DataStage provides fast, easy data extraction and transformation through a set of native mapping templates specifically developed for the PeopleSoft EPM. These DataStage-PeopleSoft templates contain ready-built business rules designed to feed the EPM modules for expedient warehouse development. PeopleSoft developers and administrators can easily access the templates through DataStage's import/export utility, enabling seamless integration of Ardent's ETL with any PeopleSoft application. Developers can then use the DataStage Designer to customize these native mapping templates for site specific transformations and mappings. The DataStage PeopleSoft templates are stand-alone, and can be deployed across an entire array of hardware platforms within PeopleSoft configurations.

"Providing a PeopleSoft-certified ETL is a direct response to our customers' increasing demand for ERP-compliant business intelligence tools," said Pete Fiore, vice president and general manager of Ardent Software's Data Warehouse Business Unit. "The PeopleSoft certification gives us a strategic advantage in accessing the ERP market segment. Ardent is committed to bringing customers advanced data warehousing tools for ERP solutions."

"After an extensive evaluation of data warehousing tools, Ardent's DataStage tool met our key requirements for functional certification and usability," said Robert Eve, vice president of global alliances at PeopleSoft. "DataStage's reprocessing support, quality assurance, meta data management and error processing features make it a top-notch ETL tool, one that enhances our offerings and enables PeopleSoft users to successfully implement best-of-breed solutions."

Extended Certification

Ardent attained extended certification from PeopleSoft by demonstrating an unparalleled set of features including:

-- Reprocessing Support - provides a mechanism to back out of a batch load and reprocess it

-- Quality Assurance - assures the quality of data moved to EPM

-- Meta Data Management - enables end-users to access, extract and report on PeopleSoft meta data

-- Error Processing - allows IT staff to identify and load error tables

"The certification of DataStage by PeopleSoft shows that Ardent understands the business imperative to leverage the information inside of packaged applications," said Henry Morris, research vice president for Data Warehousing and Information Access at International Data Corporation. "It's becoming increasingly important for data warehousing tools to enable the flow and integration of data from packaged applications to vendor-supplied warehouses, as well as to independently established warehouses."

About DataStage

DataStage streamlines the building and maintenance of data warehouses through its open, scalable and extensible architecture. Its visual design tool allows developers to add more data sources, targets, and transformations without rebuilding applications, thereby reducing cost, time and resources. Using DataStage's modular Plug-In stages, developers can add warehouse functionality as they need it. Reusable components cut development time dramatically and produce data warehouses that grow with the business. DataStage reduces the complexities of the entire data warehouse life cycle for many of the world's leading companies.

About PeopleSoft

PeopleSoft (NASDAQ:PSFT) is a global supplier of enterprise application software for business and government. PeopleSoft solutions for manufacturing, supply chain, financial, project and human resource management are used by more than 2,900 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Pleasanton, California, PeopleSoft employs more than 6,600 people and had 1998 revenues of $1.3 billion. PeopleSoft is on the World Wide Web at www.peoplesoft.com.

About Ardent Software

Ardent Software is a leading global data management software company. Ardent develops and markets embedded databases and software tools for enterprise-scale applications and data warehouses. Its products include the O2 System(R), the leading platform and repository for dynamic enterprise-scale content management; DataStage(R), a data warehouse development tool; and UniVerse(R) and UniData(R), extended relational database management systems for packaged business applications. With worldwide sales and service operations, and 1,000 resellers in more than 50 countries, Ardent is one of the top software companies in the world. More than 60,000 customers and 2.2 million users in virtually every aspect of business and government use applications powered by Ardent's products and technologies to solve complex data management problems. Additional information is available on Ardent's web site at www.ardentsoftware.com.