SAP's Newest Third-Party Software Integration Opportunity Enables Customers to Better Leverage Core Competencies of Best-of-Breed Solutions

Business Wire, Jan 10, 2001

Business/High Tech Editors

WALLDORF, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2001

SAP Expands Its Software Partner Program;

Business Objects First Partner to Complete

mySAP(TM) Workplace(TM) Certification Process

SAP AG (NYSE:SAP) today announced that the piloted Web Application Integration for mySAP(TM) Workplace(TM) is now being offered to all interested third-party software vendors for certification.

Business Objects, a provider of e-business intelligence (e-BI) solutions, is one of the first pilot partners to complete the full certification process for its BUSINESSOBJECTS INFOVIEW. The certification includes the following functionalities of the mySAP Workplace: Single-Sign-On (SSO), LaunchPad and Drag&Relate.

mySAP Workplace is part of the mySAP.com(TM) Internet-Business Framework, the most open framework architecture in the industry. This architecture plays an essential role in SAP's e-business strategy, and by using third-party software to enhance mySAP.com business elements such as mySAP Workplace, SAP is expanding the reach of its product and service offerings; providing customers with a total solution to best meet their business needs; and leveraging core competencies of best-of-breed solutions to address customer requirements.

"We are pleased to be the first business intelligence vendor to achieve mySAP Workplace certification. This certification is an example of our ongoing commitment to working with SAP and offering the best-of-class analytical solutions for mutual customers," said Mark Tice, group vice president of global alliances for Business Objects. "Our certification from SAP benefits our joint customers by providing rich e-BI functionality within the mySAP Workplace portal for accessing, analyzing and sharing information from various data sources. By partnering with the SAP Integration and Certification Center, we successfully met all the functionality requirements necessary to reach certification."

SSO and LaunchPad functionalities were also certified by other pilot partners, including CAS GmbH, an international provider of customer relationship management (CRM) solutions for companies in the consumer goods market, and Seagate Software, a leader in enterprise reporting and analysis.

"With these new services, SAP ensures that software partners receive state-of-the-art services while joint customers benefit from reduced implementation times and costs as they safeguard existing software investments," said Peter Barth, director of technology marketing at SAP AG.

Integration and Certification Centers

The Integration and Certification Centers (ICCs) in Walldorf, Germany; Palo Alto, California; and Tokyo were created in response to a growing need to manage these third-party strategic projects and are an integral part of SAP's Software Partner Program.

The ICC focus lies on technical integration, consulting services and certification, which include the following:

-- Analyzing partner interfaces and integration scenarios either online or
through special assessment centers

-- Providing technical integration consulting services for partners during
integration scenario workshops

-- Testing and certifying partner software interfaces

-- Supporting development and documentation of standard SAP integration
scenarios such as the new Web Application Integration for mySAP Workplace

In addition to the mySAP Workplace certification and the Standard SAP Integration Scenarios (www.sap.com/softwarepartner/scenarios), the ICCs now also offer certification in an XML environment, which will also increase new partnership opportunities for SAP.

About SAP

SAP is the world's leading provider of e-business software solutions. Through the mySAP.com e-business platform, people in businesses around the globe are improving relationships with customers and partners, streamlining operations, and achieving significant efficiencies throughout their supply chains. Today, more than 13,000 companies in over 100 countries run more than 30,000 installations of SAP(TM) software. With subsidiaries in over 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP." (Additional information at http://www.sap.com)

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on beliefs of SAP management. Any statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views and assumptions of SAP, and all forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect future SAP financial results are discussed more fully in SAP filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the SAP Annual Report on Form 20-F for 1999 filed with the SEC on April 7, 2000. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.