IBM database sets world record for price/performance.

SOMERS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 1996--IBM today announced that its award-winning DATABASE 2 (DB2)(a) breezed past competitors in four industry standard tests that measure transaction throughput and price/performance.

The tests, called benchmarks, were verified by Transaction Performance Council (TPC) auditors. To companies of all sizes employing transaction processing and complex query functions, this translates into increased productivity and significant dollar savings. For specialized industries such as retail and financial services, the results can be dramatic.

"DB2 continues to raise the bar for the database industry, first for openness, scalability and functionality, and now for world-class price/performance," said Janet Perna, director of Database Technology, IBM Software Solutions Division. "These benchmark results lay down the challenge for all database vendors to meet the standard set by IBM to develop, build and deliver high-value, high performance databases."

The four TPC benchmark tests included the industry's:

-- best-ever price/performance TPC-C benchmark on any platform;

-- best-ever TPC-C benchmark on a SUN platform;

-- first-ever TPC-D benchmark on the Windows NT platform; and

-- largest ever TPC-D database, tested at 300GB.

The widely accepted TPC-C benchmark tests provide "real-world" simulation of an order-entry warehouse environment. By replicating online transaction processing application conditions, such as orders, purchases, changes, additions and deletions, the benchmarks provide a gauge for companies to test the value of various hardware and software configurations and help them in future purchasing decisions. With an ever-growing demand to remain competitive, companies can creatively reuse legacy code in innovative technological ways, such as data mining and knowledge discovery.

The industry's best-ever price/performance TPC-C benchmark utilized IBM's DB2 on Sun's dual processor Ultra Enterprise 2 server. For users, this means a 26 - 42 percent faster throughput, and a 23 - 37 percent saving in price/performance when compared to published results by Oracle 7.3.2 and Sybase 11 on similarly configured Sun systems.

"What is significant here is the breadth of the message IBM is sending to customers and competitors alike -- particularly regarding transaction processing on Sun and warehousing queries on both NT and massively parallel UNIX platforms," said Perna.

TPC-D Benchmark

Using a set of 17 industry-standard queries that replicate a complex query-type application environment, IBM is the first database vendor to announce TPC-D benchmark on Windows NT. It did so by utilizing an IBM Pentium PC loaded with IBM's DB2 for Windows NT database. It also was the first to publish TPC-D results on a 300GB database using an RS/6000 system running IBM DB2 Parallel Edition. This is the largest database tested by any vendor.

"In the Grand Prix of benchmarks, IBM has proven once again its ability to exploit hardware and operating systems to maximize value to customers. World-class and best-ever results will continue to come from IBM, a company known for its depth of experience, breadth of product and commitment to excellence," concluded Perna.

IBM is the largest producer of database management software in the industry today. Eighty percent of the FORTUNE 500, including the top 100 companies, rely on the award-winning DB2 database solutions to manage data on mainframes, minicomputers, RISC workstations and personal computers.

For Internet users, IBM offers complete information about the company, its products, services and technology on the World Wide Web. The IBM home page is at http://www.ibm.com. More detailed information on the TPC benchmark test results, including a detailed fax sheet, can be obtained by contacting Susan Scott-Ker at [e-mail] or Margaret Bonilla at [e-mail]. Additional details may be viewed on the IBM Software home page at http://www.software.ibm.com. -0- (a) Indicates trademark or registered trademark of International

Business Machines Corp.

(b) Indicates trademark or registered trademark of their respective

companies.

CONTACT: IBM Media Relations

Susan Scott-Ker, 914/766-1463

Internet: [e-mail]

or

Brodeur & Partners (for IBM)

Margaret Bonilla, 617/622-2800

Internet: [e-mail]