Combining technology, data warehousing and Web- enablement through partnering; ITP Server elevates NT to enterprise, Web-enabled data warehousing.

CARY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 30, 1996--SAS Institute Inc. today announced support for Tandem's ITP - Internet Transaction Processing strategy to bring enterprise, business critical OLTP/OLAP (on-line transaction, analytical processing) and data warehousing to users of Microsoft's Windows NT, and the Internet/intranet.

Applications include software solutions and clustered, optimized hardware to create a secure, scalable environment for high-value, media-rich transactions on the Internet, intranets, and hybrid networks. SAS software provides an open, platform- and database-independent environment for managing, organizing, and exploiting distributed data marts or data warehouses on client and server platforms with network and Internet access.

"As the leading supplier of Data Warehousing solutions, SAS Institute supports the agreements between Tandem and Microsoft, SAS Institute, Compaq, and others," says Chip Kelly, SAS Institute program manager for Web Enablement, "because it will speed the adoption of the NT operating system by ensuring the reliability and scalability of business critical data warehousing applications via the Internet and intranet." SAS Institute already offers an open, end-to-end data warehousing solution through its SHARE*NET software and SAS/ACCESS software that run on the Windows NT platform via CGI (Common Gateway Interface) and ODBC drivers.

At a press conference today in New York, Tandem and its business partners introduced the hardware and software solutions that will make NT server-based internet transaction processing practical. According to Roel Pieper, president and CEO of Tandem, "Today, we are delivering technology that provides huge leaps in throughput, reliability, scalability, and security." Tandem is supporting its ITP strategy with six NT-based servers that erase the current four processor limit.

Key to the NT server and software solutions is the broad participation by leading industry software and hardware vendors (Microsoft, SAS Institute, Compaq, and others). "Through joint cooperation between our companies, customers will be able to create cost-effective, integrated, end-to-end Internet/intranet solutions that are powerful, manageable, and easy to use," said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft executive vice president. Similar to solutions developed for the stock exchange and ATM's it was noted that Web-based data transformation, access, and storage and data warehousing have to remain available. "If the system is down, customers perceive your business as being closed," added Ballmer.

Now in its 20th anniversary year, SAS Institute is the world's ninth largest independent software company. The Institute's success is due in part to its continued investment in R&D, nearly $175 million in 1995, and more than $1 billion since its formation. This commitment to customer solution oriented R&D has resulted in the Institute being awarded the reader-selected 1996 Datamation magazine Data Warehousing Product of the Year, the 1996 DM Review magazine World Class Solutions for Data Warehousing award (for Outstanding Service & Decision Support tools), the Data Warehouse World `Excellence in Business Information' award (customer service), and other industry honors.

SAS software -- SAS Institute's flagship product -- is an integrated suite of information delivery software for business decision making that addresses the unique needs of business users and IT departments. SAS software includes capabilities and tools for data warehousing including managing, organizing and exploiting the warehouse; business intelligence including EIS, online analytical processing, application development and decision support; applied analysis including technical data analysis, data mining and neural networking; and business solutions for applications such as financial consolidation and reporting, clinical trials analysis, and IT service management. Currently, SAS software is being used at nearly 30,000 business, government, and university sites worldwide.

For complete information on Data Warehousing/Web Enablement, our WEB page can be found at http://www.sas.com SAS is a registered trademark of SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA All other tradenames referenced are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

CONTACT: SAS Institute Inc., Cary

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