Business Objects Announces Support for Open OLAP Data Access Specification

Business Wire, August 21, 2000

Business Editors/High-tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2000

Business Objects (Nasdaq:BOBJ), the world's leading provider of e-business intelligence (e-BI) solutions, today announced support for a planned platform-independent data access standard for creating, storing, accessing and managing data and metadata in OLAP (online analytical processing) servers. The proposed Java(TM) OLAP interface (JOLAP) is being developed through the Java Community Process(SM) 2.0 (JCP) program, the community-based process for developing Java technology specifications, and is set to become part of J2EE(TM) (the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition).

JOLAP is being designed to be the OLAP counterpart of the JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) interface standard for data managed by relational databases. The Java development community will benefit from a single, industry-standard application programming interface (API) that enables the creation of business analysis applications that can be deployed across any JOLAP-compliant OLAP data source. In addition, vendors of OLAP servers supporting the JOLAP standard will be able to expose a standard API that will be compatible with a wide range of applications and components running on the J2EE platform.

Initially proposed by Hyperion Solutions, JOLAP is supported by IBM, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and other vendors who are working with Hyperion within the Java Community Process. JOLAP leverages the Common Warehouse Metamodel (CWM), providing interoperability between data warehousing and e-business tools, applications, and repositories.

"As the leading e-Business Intelligence (e-BI) vendor for the enterprise, we are very interested in supporting standards that make it easier for customers to access, analyze, and share corporate data," said Mark Tice, group vice president of global alliances at Business Objects. "Our partnerships are a strategic element of our success; we look forward to continuing our strong relationships with Hyperion, IBM, Oracle, and Sun and providing customers with the most comprehensive e-BI solutions."

"Hyperion is delighted that Business Objects has endorsed the JOLAP initiative," said Lee Abramson, vice president of alliance marketing, Hyperion Solutions. "The support of solutions based on open, cross platform industry standards underscores our mutual commitment to providing our common customers with the flexibility to run their business analysis software on any hardware platform, with any database, and leverage leading application servers based on the J2EE platform."

About JOLAP

For more information about JOLAP, visit http://java.sun.com/aboutJava/communityprocess/jsr/jsr_069_jolap.html. Nominations for the Expert Group may be submitted at http://java.sun.com/jcp/cafe.html, Select JSR-69, Java OLAP Interface (JOLAP). Nominees must be Java Community Process (JCP) Participants. Companies who are not Participants can sign up at http://java.sun.com/jcp/getstarted/html#3

About the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition

The Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) defines the standard for developing multi-tier enterprise applications. J2EE simplifies enterprise applications by basing them on standardized, modular components, by providing a complete set of services to those components, and by handling many details of application behavior automatically, without complex programming. For information about J2EE, visit http://www.sun.com/products-n-solutions/software/oe-platforms/java2ee.html

About the Java Community Process(SM) 2.0 (JCP) program

The Java Community Process(SM) (JCP) program is the formalization of the open process that Sun Microsystems, Inc. has been using since 1995 to develop and revise Java(TM) technology specifications in cooperation with the international Java community. The JCP fosters evolution of the Java technology in Internet time, and in an open, participative manner.

About Business Objects

Business Objects is the world's leading provider of e-business intelligence (e-BI) solutions. The company coined the term e-business intelligence in 1998 to describe the intersection of business intelligence and the internet. Using e-business intelligence, organizations can access, analyze, and share information in intranet, extranet, and e-business environments. In intranets, the company's products provide employees with information to make better business decisions, and are used in environments ranging from workgroups of 20 users to enterprise deployments exceeding 20,000. In the extranet environment, the company is pioneering the use of e-BI in applications that allow organizations to build stronger relationships by linking customers, partners, and suppliers via the internet. In addition, the company's products can improve the performance of an e-business by providing reporting and analysis against the ever-expanding amount of transaction and profile data that is collected each day throughout the world wide web.

Founded in 1990, Business Objects pioneered the modern business intelligence industry by inventing and patenting a "semantic layer" that insulates users from the technical complexity of database systems. Today, the company has sold more than 2,268,000 licenses to over 10,900 organizations in more than 80 countries. The company's stock is publicly traded under the ticker symbols Nasdaq: BOBJ and PARIS BOURSE: code SICOVAM 12074, and included in the SBF 120 and IT CAC 50 French stock market indexes. Business Objects can be reached at 408/953-6000 and www.businessobjects.com.