Business objects to deliver OLAP for the mainstream business user; "Mercury" project to provide next-generation DSS Toolset with the industry's first fully integrated query, reporting, and analysis.

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 1995--Business Objects, a leading provider of client/server decision support systems (DSS), today announced that it is developing the first toolset to provide mainstream business users with advanced online analytical processing (OLAP) functionality.

Code named Mercury, the toolset will integrate OLAP functionality into Business Objects' industry-leading query and reporting solution.

The Mercury project addresses a growing business requirement for front-line managers to make fast, intelligent decisions that can significantly impact a company's bottom line. These managers increasingly need to go beyond query and reporting, into the realm of sophisticated multidimensional analysis.

Mercury features breakthrough technology

Traditional multidimensional analysis solutions, from executive information systems (EIS) to OLAP servers, have historically been targeted at the needs of an elite group of users. Mercury will deliver OLAP functionality to the mainstream business user through a new architecture with four industry-unique components: unified metadata; a dynamic microcube engine; integrated query, reporting, and analysis tools; and an advanced set of repository-based IS utilities.

Unified metadata

Mercury will use a unified metadata repository that contains both business intelligence and data dimension information. This will provide two advantages over traditional OLAP approaches. Unified metadata will enable end users to work with a business representation of data, rather than working directly with the underlying database schema. Second, because the metadata repository will understand the dimensionality of the data, end users will be able to dynamically perform complex multidimensional analysis, without relying on IS for frequent assistance.

Dynamic microcube engine

Mercury introduces a major innovation -- the dynamic microcube engine -- that automatically and transparently builds micro-hypercubes (microcubes) on the user's desktop, eliminating the need for frequent IS intervention. Because they are both dynamic and inquiry specific, microcubes provide the ability to perform OLAP against large data volumes, with current data, and without heavy storage requirements.

Dynamic microcubes offer significant benefits over traditional OLAP solutions that rely on static hypercubes, which must hold large amounts of pre-defined data, can be time consuming to build due to their size, and must be periodically rebuilt to accommodate users' changing analysis needs.

Integrated query, reporting, and analysis tools

Mercury will provide the industry's first integrated set of tools to combine advanced query and reporting with state-of-the-art OLAP functions. Users can, for example, create graphical reports containing both tabular information and charts, and then "drill down" directly from within a report.

By integrating analysis with query and reporting in a single, document-centric metaphor, Mercury will provide end users a level of ease-of-use that is unmatched by any other vendor. Mercury also provides a host of wizards to assist users in performing complex operations, improving both ease of use and ease of learning.

Repository-based IS utilities

Mercury includes a new suite of repository-based IS tools for streamlining the setup, deployment, and administration of the decision support environment. The IS tools combined with the intelligent metadata repository will eliminate the tradeoff with current DSS solutions between IS setup and end-user ease-of-use.

"When we asked customers what they wanted most, they told us to enable analysis against relational databases, integrate analysis with query and reporting, improve enterprise deployability, and to do so without compromising our industry-leading ease-of-use. Mercury is our response to those demanding requests," said Bernard Liautaud, president and CEO of Business Objects. "By integrating OLAP with query and reporting, Mercury defines a new generation of decision support tool."

"Business Objects is headed in the right direction," said Robert Moran, senior analyst at Aberdeen Group, Inc., Boston, Mass. "Today's flatter organizations need to be able to deploy DSS solutions throughout the organization, not just at the top. Mercury will enable OLAP for the mainstream business user."

Mercury to deliver OLAP for the mainstream business user

Four key factors will contribute to Mercury's unique ability to deliver OLAP to mainstream business users:

-- Open -- Mercury provides OLAP without requiring the use of specialized multidimensional database servers or specialized relational database schemas. It also supports a wide variety of heterogeneous environments, including databases, middleware, and client hardware platforms.

-- Deployable -- Mercury's dynamic microcubes and repository-based IS toolset eliminate the need for day-to-day IS support of analysis and significantly reduce the amount of time needed to set up and maintain the decision support environment.

-- Integrated -- Mercury provides all DSS functions in a single, powerful end user toolset. This allows users to perform query, reporting, and analysis from within one document without having to switch between tools.

-- Easy-to-Use -- Mercury provides unprecedented ease-of-use, providing numerous new features to assist end users with complex operations.

Customers praise development of Mercury

"We selected Business Objects because they provided an enterprise solution that met all of our needs," said Judy O'Connor, vice president, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., Baltimore, MD. "Mercury continues that tradition by doing for OLAP today what Business Objects did for query and reporting -- delivering an order-of-magnitude improvement against the current state of the art."

"We are really excited about Mercury's advanced OLAP functionality, especially the microcube engine," said Kumar Kannankutty, project manager for Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minn. "Before this, hypercube technology was only available for a small group of sophisticated users on specialized OLAP servers. Now, Business Objects is providing OLAP on the client, bringing this advanced functionality to the everyday business user."

Availability and pricing

Mercury will run on Windows 95, Windows 3.1, Macintosh, and Unix and support all industry-leading relational databases. The product is currently in the late phases of development and is scheduled to go into Beta in 4Q95. Production is scheduled for 1Q96. Pricing and packaging information will be available at the time of general availability.

About Business Objects

Business Objects (NASDAQ: BOBJY) is a leading provider of client/server decision support systems (DSS) to customers with data warehouse and other strategic business applications. The company pioneered the market for business-intelligent DSS tools in 1990 with the introduction of its flagship product, BusinessObjects. In 1994, company revenues were over $30 million, representing over 100% growth rate from 1993.

Business Objects has been licensed in more than 20 countries to over 2,000 customer sites and 65,000 end users worldwide. Business Objects partners with leading third-party vendors including Hewlett-Packard, Informix, Oracle, Prism Solutions, RedBrick Systems, Sun Microsystems, and Sybase. Strategic resellers include AT&T Global Information Solutions, Bull Information Systems, Fujitsu, Price Waterhouse, Sequent, SHL Systemhouse, and Unisys. -0-

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

CONTACT: Business Objects

Tracy Eiler, 408/864-2085

or

Blanc & Otus

Rebecca Hurst, 415/512-0500