Ampersand's zeroCode Design Application Saves 94 Percent of Development Time in FedEx Database Project.

Business Editors

GLENDALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 2001

Internet solutions company Ampersand Software (www.ampercorp.com) today announced that zeroCode(TM) -- Ampersand's browser-based development environment that automatically builds Web-based applications from database schemas -- was used by FedEx (www.FedEx.com) to develop a tracking system, saving the company 94 percent of its development time.

FedEx selected zeroCode to create a system to track maintenance records and performance statistics for fleets of various airlines, including Northwest, Delta, United, FedEx and UPS. FedEx will use an existing application to populate this database with raw information, while the zeroCode-built Web-based application allows all participating companies to view and interact with the data.

Using zeroCode, FedEx engineer Richie Bailey spent a total of 51 hours developing the tracking system -- 30 hours of which were spent transforming the existing database from Microsoft Access to Oracle and refining the graphical HTML front-end.

"Using traditional programming tools, this project would've probably taken 800 hours to complete," said Bailey. "4GL tools could have cut that time down to half, possibly; zeroCode took only a little over 50 hours, including training. zeroCode saved me 85 percent to 94 percent of my development time on this project, and helped me quickly and easily design a top-quality, reliable database system."

Bailey further elaborated, "This application works out to about 120 function points, which would normally mean a nearly five man-month development effort. With zeroCode, I completed the whole project in just over a man-week, and that includes the learning curve on a product I never touched before."

Previously this year, zeroCode won the prestigious Java Developer's Journal "World Class Product" award. The publication deemed zeroCode "a significant step toward the goal of developing applications with minimal handwritten code."

For more information about zeroCode, visit www.zeroCode.com.

About Ampersand

Ampersand enables its customers to harness the power of technology to build outstanding business solutions. The company constructs e-business enabling systems for its enterprise customers, while providing product co-development services for technology companies. It provides software services that span custom application development, e-business consulting, eCRM & SCM implementation services, mCommerce application development and re-engineering services in communications, distribution, entertainment and health care. For more information about Ampersand, visit www.AmperCorp.com and www.zeroCode.com.

About FedEx

With annual revenues of $20 billion, FedEx Corp. is the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain management services. The company offers integrated business solutions through a network of subsidiaries operating independently, including FedEx Express, the world's largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground, North America's second-largest provider of small-package ground delivery service; FedEx Freight, a leading provider of regional less-than-truckload freight services; FedEx Custom Critical, the world's largest provider of expedited, time-critical shipments; and FedEx Trade Networks, a provider of customs brokerage, consulting, information technology and trade facilitation solutions.