CMG Direct Interactive -- A CMGI Company -- Selects Informix-Online Extended Parallel Server To Build Data Warehouse/Internet Application; Informix's database technology provides foundation for the measurement and analysis of Internet use.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30, 1996--Informix Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: IFMX), the leading provider of innovative database technology, announced today at the VLDB Summit in Chicago, Ill., that CMG Direct Interactive (CMGDI) has selected INFORMIX-OnLine Extended Parallel Server 8.0 (OnLine XPS) and INFORMIX-OnLine Dynamic Server version 7.1 for the expansion of its core marketing services business to include data gathered from the Internet.

CMGDI, a database and Internet systems company focused on direct marketing solutions, is basing its new data warehouse information system on Informix's technology to provide its business customers with in-depth and comprehensive information about today's consumer behavior. CMGDI is a subsidiary of CMG Information Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMGI).

CMGDI's decision to select Informix's high-performance OnLine XPS and OnLine Dynamic Server, both with Dynamic Scalable Architecture, was based on its requirements for an easy-to-use, scalable database system for large decision support environments.

"We selected OnLine XPS and OnLine Dynamic Server for our `Data Warehouse Manager' because the technology has been proven to handle large volumes of data," said Daniel Jaye, Chief Technology Officer at CMG Direct Interactive. "We wanted to include Internet-use information into our marketing services, and we needed a database system that would allow us to develop a high quality, reliable data warehouse environment. Informix enables us to reduce costs, manage disparate data sources and deliver better service to our business customers."

"The popularity of the Internet has highlighted the opportunity for companies like CMGDI to broaden their base of consumer information and marketing," said Phil White, CEO and chairman of Informix Software, Inc. "Informix's market-leading technology allows CMGDI take advantage of a new source of data derived from user activity on the Internet."

Clicking ahead

CMGDI designed its Data Warehouse Manager to facilitate the construction of large-scale data warehouses to expand its current service capabilities beyond the building of direct mail lists and customer marketing databases, to interactive data exploration and media presentations based on information gathered on-line.

Included in CMGDI's data warehouse expansion plans is the incorporation of Internet clickstream data, which is information gathered from user activity on the Internet. By retrieving, storing and manipulating this information, CMGDI will be able to provide valuable services to both Internet users and customers who require marketing information about on-line browsing behavior, based on historical information. CMGDI's business customers can create on-the-fly, customized information for consumers that is more consistent with their requirements and preferences, for example -- the use of French language for French-speaking users.

Dubbed "On-line Micro-Targeting" (OLMT), CMGDI's data warehouse system will permit businesses to derive demographic information based on both traditional data sources and clickstream data. CMGDI will analyze the combined data history to create behavior models, profiles of groups, and usage or transaction information for their customers.

The Solution

Informix's OnLine XPS and OnLine Dynamic Server Version 7.1 are the foundation of CMGDI's Data Warehouse Manager. Within the information system, consumer data is accessed via the Internet using CMGDI's specialized tools. The data is then processed through an interactive media server before it is stored either directly in the INFORMIX-OnLine XPS data warehouse, running on IBM's RS/6000 SP2, or in an INFORMIX-OnLine Dynamic Server data mart for localized decision support queries.

Because of Informix's unique parallel processing technology, companies such as CMGDI can scale their applications to include terabytes of new data without sacrificing performance. As Internet usage grows, CMGDI expects its database to grow from its current size of 150 gigabytes to multi-terabytes.

About OnLine Extended Parallel Server and OnLine Dynamic Server

INFORMIX-OnLine Extended Parallel Server (OnLine XPS) is a high-performance, scalable database server based on Informix's industry-leading Dynamic Scalable Architecture (DSA). OnLine XPS extends DSA to loosely coupled or shared nothing computing architectures, including clusters of symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) systems and massively parallel processing (MPP) systems.

OnLine XPS allows organizations like CMG Direct Interactive to take advantage of a new generation of multiprocessor systems that provide for more cost-effective, scalable, open solutions for very large database (VLDB) requirements, rather than investing in traditional proprietary, mainframe environments. OnLine XPS also offers a significant improvement in performance for mission-critical, data-intensive tasks associated with data warehousing, decision support, document management, imaging, workflow and other VLDB operational environments.

INFORMIX-OnLine Dynamic Server is Informix's powerful, multithreaded database server designed to exploit the capabilities of both SMP and uniprocessor architectures to deliver breakthrough database scalability, manageability and performance. OnLine Dynamic Server provides superior transaction processing, optimal decision support through parallel data query (PDQ) technology, high availability, data integrity, mainframe-caliber administration, graphical monitoring tools and multimedia capabilities.

About CMG Direct Interactive

CMG Direct Interactive (CMGDI), a subsidiary of CMG Information Services (NASDAQ: CMGI), is a database and Internet systems company focusing on direct marketing solutions. CMGI is a direct marketing services organization aggressively investing in and integrating advanced Internet, interactive media and database management technologies into products and services that will take full advantage of the direct marketing opportunities afforded by new on-line, interactive media.

About Informix

Informix Software, based in Menlo Park, Calif., provides innovative database technology that enables the world's leading corporations to manage and grow their businesses. Informix is widely recognized as the technology leader for corporate computing environments, ranging from workgroups to very large OLTP and data warehouse applications. Informix's database servers, application development tools, superior customer service, and strong partnerships enable the company to be at the forefront of many leading-edge information technology solution areas.

With the acquisition of Illustra Information Technology's completely extensible database technology, Informix is now positioned as the first information management company capable of meeting the market's exploding need for a sophisticated database engine that combines enterprise scalability, robustness and parallel processing with the ability to store, retrieve, manage and manipulate virtually any kind of rich content data. More information about Informix is available via the World Wide Web at http://www.informix.com and http://www.illustra.com. -0-

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CONTACT: Informix Software, Inc.

Cecilia Denny, 415/926-6420

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Cunningham Communication, Inc.

Kristin Kryway, 408/764-0713

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CMG Information Services, Inc.

Kathryn Cadigan, 508/657-7000 Ext. 3036

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