ShowCase Corporation Teams with IBM to Develop DB2 OLAP Server for Empowered Business Intelligence Applications on the AS/400

Business Wire, March 9, 2000

Business Editors/Technology Writers

ROCHESTER, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 2000

State-of-the-Art IBM Server Technology Provides Ideal

Platform for ShowCase Enterprise Intelligence Solutions

ShowCase(R) Corporation (Nasdaq:SHWC), the leading provider of Enterprise Intelligence solutions for business users and AS/400 IT professionals, announced today that it has teamed up with IBM to develop the new IBM DB2 OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing) Server for AS/400 users.

This technology partnership between IBM and ShowCase now offers AS/400 organizations a more robust server platform by which to store multidimensional data and more quickly build and deploy Web-based analytical applications. The new server is designed to provide the optimal cornerstone technology for high-performance Business Intelligence (BI) analytics on a platform ideally suited for Enterprise Intelligence.

"With the DB2 OLAP Server for the AS/400, we are now able to provide companies who are using the AS/400 with a more fully integrated server platform to meet their growing Business Intelligence and analytic needs," said Hershel Harris, director, strategy and market management, IBM Data Management Solutions. "This new solution, jointly developed with ShowCase Corporation, will offer an immediate and substantial return on investment to AS/400 customers."

Further, IBM DB2 OLAP's Web-based deployment of BI analytical applications leverages ShowCase's recently unveiled Enterprise Intelligence Initiative -- a comprehensive Web based solution that extends the ShowCase data warehousing and business intelligence product line. Through the combination of IBM's DB2 OLAP and ShowCase's STRATEGY product suite and Enterprise Information Portal (EIP) offerings, end-users will be able to make better business decisions through personalized, Internet access to key information, without regard to its source.

Linking the widely accepted Hyperion Essbase OLAP technology with IBM's award-winning scalable DB2 Universal Database, the DB2 OLAP Server is geared to business intelligence power users. ShowCase is uniquely positioned to leverage the combined strengths of DB2 OLAP on the AS/400 and ShowCase's STRATEGY suite of integrated Business Intelligence solutions. ShowCase's fully-integrated, end-to-end suite of Enterprise Intelligence tools, combined with IBM's DB2 OLAP Server, will empower AS/400 users with enhanced analytic and decision-making capabilities. The DB2/OLAP Server provides organizations that are using IBM's DB2 Universal Database for the AS/400 with a new way to conceptualize and organize business data, and introduces them to the speed-of-thought advantages of multidimensional analysis.

"Within the rapidly expanding Enterprise Intelligence universe, analytics represents the greatest return on investment for organizations today," says Ken Holec, chief executive officer, ShowCase Corporation. "Increasingly large and complex volumes of data on customers, orders, products, etc. facing AS/400 business users demand the power of the Essbase/400 multidimensional engine that can propel organizations into sophisticated analytics. The release of the DB2 OLAP Server will enable us to extend our offerings through IBM's direct sales force and its global network of business partners, thus expanding our penetration into the hundreds of thousands of AS/400 sites who demand a comprehensive Enterprise Intelligence solution."

About IBM DB2 Universal Database

As the foundation for e-business, DB2 Universal Database is the industry's first multimedia, Web-ready relational database management system, strong enough to meet the demands of large corporations and flexible enough to serve medium-sized and small businesses. DB2 Universal Database combines power for Business Intelligence (data warehousing and data mining) with industry-leading performance and reliability to drive the most demanding industry solutions. DB2 Universal Database, together with Internet technology, makes information easily accessible, available and secure. More information on IBM data management can be found at http://www.software.ibm.com/data.> About ShowCase STRATEGY ShowCase

STRATEGY provides business users and AS/400 IT professionals with a complete solution for Enterprise Intelligence. From extraction and transformation of data from AS/400 operational systems, such as e-commerce applications and ERP systems -- through loading data into the warehouse and keeping it refreshed through automated scheduling -- STRATEGY provides IT professionals with an integrated suite of data warehousing tools. For business users, STRATEGY provides an integrated suite of ad hoc query and reporting tools, Web-based enterprise reporting, and OLAP-based analytic application solutions.

About ShowCase(R) Corporation

ShowCase Corporation is the leading provider of Enterprise Intelligence solutions for business users and AS/400 IT professionals. Expanding its expertise in data warehousing and business intelligence solutions to include Web-based content management technology, ShowCase provides a complete Enterprise Information Portal solution. ShowCase STRATEGY provides businesses with Web-based analytical capabilities to solve problems and seize opportunities in key areas such as CRM and financial management. Founded in 1988, ShowCase has more than 250 employees worldwide, and serves over 2,200 active clients. ShowCase sells its products in the United States and internationally through a direct sales force and channel partners, including IBM, software application vendors, distributors, and resellers. The ShowCase website can be found at www.showcasecorp.com.