Business Objects and Alsoft Sign Strategic Licensing Agreement.

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 20, 1997--

Alsoft to License Business Objects Query Technology to Deliver New

Product -- BusinessQuery for GeoConcept

Business Objects (NASDAQ:BOBJY), the world's leading provider of integrated enterprise decision support tools, today announced a licensing agreement with Alsoft, a leading provider of geographical information systems (GIS) and mapping technology.

Under the agreement, Alsoft will integrate the Business Objects patented query technology into its GeoConcept application to deliver a new product, BusinessQuery(R) for GeoConcept.

BusinessQuery for GeoConcept will enable end users to access corporate data using common business terms, and then load it into GeoConcept's mapping environment. For example, a sales manager could use BusinessQuery for GeoConcept to access multiple types of sales data -- including information on customers, store locations and regions, sales, and products -- from their corporate data warehouse and geographically display it on a map of a specific region. Then, the manager could use the map to analyze and identify correlations between data and make a business decision, such as determining where to locate a new store or reassign sales territories.

Using the Business Objects query technology, BusinessQuery for GeoConcept insulates end users from relational database concepts and structured query language (SQL) by providing a business representation of data. By licensing the Business Objects query technology, Alsoft is giving customers the ability to easily access the corporate data they need, anytime they need it, without having to involve the information systems (IS) department.

"Decision support technology is crucial to taking advantage of a corporation's information assets," said Eric Lanzi, CEO of Alsoft. "There is also tremendous value to be realized from combining a geographic component into an enterprise decision support solution. Our integration of the industry's leading query technology from Business Objects extends the capabilities of mainstream users to access, visualize, and analyze valuable corporate information through GIS and mapping."

"We are extremely pleased that Alsoft is endorsing our query technology as the industry's best way of accessing corporate data," said Bernard Liautaud, president and CEO of Business Objects. "In the enterprise, users want one user-friendly way of getting all the information they need. BusinessQuery for GeoConcept marries our leading query technique with a sophisticated mapping tool, allowing users to visualize corporate data and make business decisions."

About Business Objects Technology

Business Objects revolutionized database access in 1990 with the invention of a new technology called a "semantic layer" that maps technical concepts to a business representation of data using everyday business terms. The semantic layer provides mainstream users with accurate, self-service access to their corporate information, without requiring them to understand technical languages like SQL or complex relational database concepts.

This use of semantic layer technology is now the acknowledged standard for modern decision support tools. Business Objects has remained in the forefront of new developments in this area, extending it to cover all types of database schema, from operational systems through to data marts and data warehouses, using techniques such as multipass SQL, aggregate awareness, and short cut joins. Business Objects query technology can simultaneously access a variety of data sources including online analytical processing (OLAP) or multidimensional servers, local files e.g., spreadsheets, PC databases, and packaged application APIs such as SAP's BAPI.

Pricing and Availability

BusinessQuery for GeoConcept will be sold by Alsoft and is expected to ship in Q497. Pricing will be announced at production availability.

About Alsoft

Alsoft, the originator and developer of the GeoConcept family of GIS software, was established in France in 1990, and has grown since then to become the country's top-selling supplier in its field. Alsoft has a number of strategic integration partnerships, including one with Business Objects, and is now investing and growing rapidly in North America, Japan and other Asian markets. There are now more than 7,000 GeoConcept systems in use in France alone, and the user base is expanding rapidly throughout Europe and overseas. Major users include AXA Group, CAP-SESA, Carrefour, France Telecom, the French Army, Gendarmerie Nationale, Groupe Bouygues, GSI, the Ministries of Agriculture and Defense, Redland, Sema, SNCF and IGN, France's national cartographic organization, which has adopted the system for its own cartographic work. Alsoft publishes the Geo Concept range and supplies a variety of digital map data and associated products. Alsoft is backed by leading investors including Damachy-Worms group and France Telecom.

About Business Objects

Business Objects is the world's leading provider of integrated enterprise decision support tools. Business Objects products provide non-technical business users with access to information stored in data warehouses, data marts, and packaged business applications. Business Objects provides a complete suite of decision support tools including query, reporting, online analytical processing, data mining, and DSS administration for both client/server and internet environments. Business Objects has sold more than 575,000 licenses to over 5,000 organizations in more than 60 countries worldwide.

Business Objects may be reached by phone at 408-953-6000 or on the worldwide web at http://www.businessobjects.com. The company's stock is publicly traded under the ticker symbol BOBJY. -0-

Note to Editors: BusinessObjects is a trademark of and BusinessQuery is a registered trademark of Business Objects SA. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

A full-text copy of this announcement may be obtained by calling the Company's fax retrieval line at 800-414-2114 and selecting option "two." The announcement may also be downloaded from the Web; access "http://www.businesswire.com/cnn" and search on "Business Objects." Business Objects product inquiries should contact 800-527-0580.

CONTACT: Business Objects

Danielle Dawson, 408/953-6108

or

Alsoft

Christophe Girarrdier

Melina LeBerre, 011 33 1 44 06 53 01