CORRECTING AND REPLACING SAS Achieves Leader Status for Extraction, Transformation and Load -ETL- Market.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

CORRECTION...by SAS 

CARY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 2004

In BW5287 issued April 8, 2004: The URL link in the last sentence of the sixth graph of release (dated April 8, 2004) should read: http://www.sas.com/technologies/dw/entetlserver/ (sted http://corpprod.unx.sas.com/technologies/dw/entetlserver/index.html. )

The corrected release reads:

SAS ACHIEVES LEADER STATUS FOR EXTRACTION, TRANSFORMATION AND LOAD -ETL- MARKET

SAS, a leader in business intelligence, today announced that it has been ranked as a market leader in META Group's recently released METAspectrum(SM) for ETL tools. META Group (Nasdaq: METG) is a leading research and consulting firm that focuses on information technology and business transformation strategies.

The new METAspectrum evaluation provides an objective assessment of companies providing ETL tools that are used in designing and populating analytic databases such as data warehouses, data marts and operational data stores. SAS was positioned in the leadership segment of the METAspectrum analysis. META Group defines a leader as having stable, mature products with an array of data and platform support. A leader also has strong financial backing, a worldwide presence and is recognized as an innovator.

"This is great validation for the depth and breadth of our ETL offering," said Rob Stephens, director of technology strategy, SAS. "In addition to being a pioneer by including data quality into the ETL process, SAS also makes it easy to access data from any source, regardless of the platform. Combined with our proven business intelligence and analytic capabilities, our customers gain a lot of unique value through one cohesive and seamlessly integrated system."

META Group evaluated the vendors based on presence and performance. Within each of those categories were criteria that helped META Group rate vendors from poor to excellent. The presence category examined vision/strategy, geographic coverage, industry focus and market share, among others; while the performance category focused on technology, services, agility, financials, execution, pricing and personnel. SAS rated favorably in both categories, specifically within the areas of geographic coverage and services.

"While there are a number of ETL options available in the market, only SAS gives us the stability, scalability and value we need to stay ahead of market changes and customer demands," said Tony Vallin, global IT director from Transitions Optical (based in Florida). "With fully integrated metadata and data quality capabilities, SAS' ETL offering is unique in the depth and breadth of its functionality - extending far beyond simple data warehousing needs. For us, SAS is a clear leader and the right choice in its ability to process and manage high volumes of data."

SAS recently launched SAS(R)9, the most significant release in SAS' 28-year history. SAS Enterprise ETL Server - a key package in the SAS(R)9 Intelligence Platform - cleanses and integrates data from various sources and platforms into a common, usable metadata repository that delivers one single source of truth across an enterprise. More information about SAS' enhanced ETL offering can be found at http://www.sas.com/technologies/dw/entetlserver/ .

"SAS is known for listening and responding to its customers needs," said Tho Nguyen, manager of data integration at SAS. "Through our customer interactions, we know how much they value the scalability and embedded analytics that are a key part of our easy-to-use and simple-to-manage ETL package. From the very beginning of the intelligence process, we help our customers succeed by lowering their cost of ownership and increasing their return on investment."

The SAS(R)9 Intelligence Platform, which is the foundation of the SAS(R)9 family of products and solutions, supports a broad set of integrated software for unmatched data integration, easy-to-use business reporting and unparalleled analytics. The Intelligence Platform is an end-to-end offering that makes it even easier for businesses to obtain intelligence, achieve strategic business value and sustain a competitive advantage.

About METAspectrum

METAspectrum(SM) evaluations from META Group (Nasdaq: METG) provide IT professionals with a view into critical market success factors and vendor positioning. METAspectrum delivers comprehensive evaluations of both technology markets and vendor product offerings. There are multiple market evaluations planned for release in 2003 and beyond. METAspectrum evaluations are updated quarterly, biannually, or annually, depending on the characteristics of individual markets. To view completed market evaluations, or learn more about the METAspectrum methodology, visit www.metagroup.com/metaspectrum.

About SAS

SAS is the market leader in providing a new generation of business intelligence software and services that create true enterprise intelligence. SAS solutions are used at more than 40,000 sites -- including 96 of the top 100 of the 2003 Fortune Global 500 -- to develop more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers; to enable better, more accurate and informed decisions; and to drive organizations forward. SAS is the only vendor that completely integrates leading data warehousing, analytics and traditional BI applications to create intelligence from massive amounts of data. For nearly three decades, SAS has been giving customers around the world The Power to Know(R).

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. (R) indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.

Copyright (C) 2004 SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.

METAspectrum(SM) market evaluations and results are the sole property of META Group, Inc. and are Copyright (C) 2002 META Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use the results requires prior written approval from META Group, and should not be deemed an endorsement of any company or product.