PeopleSoft Delivers Major New Release of Enterprise Applications; PeopleSoft 7 Includes Web Client; Universal Applications; 3-Tier Processing; OLAP Integration; and Two New Applications.PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 25, 1997--PeopleSoft, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :PSFT PSFT PeopleSoft (stock symbol) PSFT Progressive Saturation Fourier Transform PSFT Prosoft-Technology, Inc ), a leading provider of enterprise application software, today announced that its next major release, PeopleSoft 7, will be generally available in September 1997. PeopleSoft 7 dramatically increases the performance and flexibility of PeopleSoft's enterprise application offering through major technology innovations, including a new Web Client, a high-performance three-tier processing option, and on-line analytical processing (database) On-Line Analytical Processing - (OLAP) A category of database software which provides an interface such that users can transform or limit raw data according to user-defined or pre-defined functions, and quickly and interactively examine the results in various dimensions (OLAP (OnLine Analytical Processing) Decision support software that allows the user to quickly analyze information that has been summarized into multidimensional views and hierarchies. OLAP tools are used to perform trend analysis on sales and financial information. ) integration. In addition, PeopleSoft 7 marks the general availability of the company's Universal Applications for self-service transactions on the World Wide Web; a new integrated development tool, Application Designer; and two new applications for distribution and manufacturing, Product Configurator and Engineering. "Our worldwide user community asked for the powerful technology and other features in PeopleSoft 7, and we have delivered them," said Dave Duffield, president and chief executive officer at PeopleSoft. "PeopleSoft 7 will enable our customers to enjoy all the benefits of universal access to PeopleSoft applications, greater scalability and performance, enhanced reporting and analysis, and awesome new capabilities in our PeopleTools development environment. This is a huge release, but we have engineered it as an easy upgrade. That's great news for our customers." Initial benchmark tests have shown that PeopleSoft 7 performs at significantly higher levels than PeopleSoft 6 for on-line transaction processing (database) On-Line Transaction Processing - (OLTP) The processing of transactions by computers in real time. over a wide area network (WAN). As a result of these performance gains, as well as the product's other new features, numerous existing PeopleSoft customers, including DHL DHL abbr. 1. Doctor of Hebrew Letters 2. Doctor of Hebrew Literature Airways, Inc., Mobil Oil, the National Basketball Association National Basketball Association (NBA) U.S. professional basketball league. It was formed in 1949 by the merger of two rival organizations, the National Basketball League (founded 1937) and the Basketball Association of America (1946). , and Independence Blue Cross have already committed to upgrading to PeopleSoft 7. "PeopleSoft understands the customers' business needs and keeps us ahead with innovative technology, application functionality, and excellent customer service," said Sandy Myskowski, president of the PeopleSoft International Customer Advisory Board. "PeopleSoft 7 gives customers a major boost in capabilities." "PeopleSoft 7 is a significant release that should provide immediate benefits to PeopleSoft customers," said Henry Morris, director of data warehousing See data warehouse. data warehousing - data warehouse and applications for International Data Corporation. "The move to a 3-tier architecture makes possible more flexible deployment and extends application access to a broader set of users via the Java-based Web Client. Perhaps most innovative is the integrated OLAP support, enabling users to specify dimensions based on business rules and meta-data specific to PeopleSoft's application." PeopleSoft Delivers Web Client and Universal Applications With PeopleSoft 7, PeopleSoft has delivered a Web Client that runs in Microsoft's Internet Explorer Microsoft's Web browser, which comes with Windows starting with Windows 98. Commonly called "IE," versions for Mac and Unix are also available. Internet Explorer is the most widely used Web browser on the market. It has also been the browser engine in AOL's Internet access software. and Netscape's Navigator web browsers The following is a list of web browsers. Historical Historically important browsers In order of release:
The Web Client is a Java applet A Java program that is downloaded from the server and run from the browser. The Java Virtual Machine built into the browser is interpreting the instructions. Contrast with Java application. that uses the BEA BEA - Basic programming Environment for interactive-graphical Applications, from Siemens-Nixdorf. Jolt middleware product from BEA Systems BEA Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: BEAS) is one of the major companies developing enterprise infrastructure software. BEA makes middleware, products that help software run on top of databases. , Inc., for connectivity to the PeopleSoft application server. Designed for seamless integration An addition of a new application, routine or device that works smoothly with the existing system. It implies that the new feature or program can be installed and used without problems. Contrast with "transparent," which implies that there is no discernible change after installation. into existing corporate intranets, the Web Client also runs the company's Universal Applications, providing self-service functionality for occasional users. The PeopleTools 7 application development environment allows developers to create a single application definition, then deploy that application on either a Web or a Windows client -- with no extra development required for either option. Since the business logic is specified only once, the Web and Windows clients will remain in sync with one another automatically, regardless of future customization or upgrades. This flexibility represents tremendous savings for organizations over time. PeopleSoft's Universal Applications provide intuitive self-service functionality across the Internet and intranets for tasks associated with human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. , payroll, benefits, accounting, and distribution functions. These self-service applications are designed for specific roles and requirements within the organization, enabling occasional users such as employees, vendors, and customers to perform administrative tasks easily through a browser. Benchmarks Show Three-Tier Architecture Boosts Performance PeopleSoft's new three-tier processing option vastly improves performance by minimizing network traffic over both Local Area Networks (LANs) and Wide Area Networks (WANs). Initial benchmark test results comparing the performance of PeopleSoft 6 and PeopleSoft 7 in a three-tier WAN configuration using a Pentium 90 MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. client, a four-way Pentium Pro The sixth generation of the Intel x86 family of CPU chips. The term may refer to the chip or to a PC that uses it. Introduced in 1995 as the successor to the Pentium, models from 150 MHz to 200 MHz were released. 200 MHz application server running NT, and a separate four-way Pentium Pro 166 MHz database server running Oracle NT, show significant gains, as reflected in several different metrics: -Average response times decreased by 50 - 65% -Network traffic decreased by 50 - 70% -Number of messages decreased by 60 - 80% -Number of concurrent functional users per Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. application server: -HRMS Online - 1,600 -Financials Online - 1,000 PeopleSoft's three-tier architecture provides an efficient split between the application server and the client, thereby increasing the speed, performance, and security of each transaction. By using the BEA TUXEDO A TP monitor from BEA Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA (www.beasys.com) that runs on a variety of Unix-based computers. Originally developed by AT&T and sold as source code, Novell acquired it, enhanced it and offered it as shrink-wrapped software for various Unix servers. middleware on the PeopleSoft 7 application server, users will be able to accommodate very large volumes of concurrent users with robust load-balancing and fail-over recovery capabilities, providing for continuous operations. PeopleSoft 7's application server is optimized to run on Microsoft's Windows NT and select Unix platforms. PeopleSoft has leveraged industry support for its three-tier architecture, with dedicated resources from the following major hardware providers on the Unix platform: Digital Equipment, Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) , and Sun Microsystems (See today's related news release, PSFT - 39.97). OLAP Integration and Open APIs for Enhanced Reporting and Analysis PeopleSoft 7 marks the introduction of Cube Manager, a powerful data integration tool which allows users to define their own OLAP dimensions and analysis models. Because the OLAP cubes are built using PeopleSoft meta-data, changes to the business application are automatically passed to the OLAP tool. In addition to providing robust integration with PeopleSoft applications, the cubes defined by Cube Manager are OLAP tool independent. A single cube definition can be used to integrate PeopleSoft transactional data with different best-of-breed OLAP solutions from the desktop to the data mart. This gives PeopleSoft customers the most flexibility possible when deciding how to deploy their OLAP solutions. With PeopleSoft 7, the company will offer integration to Cognos' PowerPlay OLAP tool. PeopleSoft will bundle a PowerPlay starter set with each PeopleSoft application and resell additional user licenses on request. To support multidimensional analysis at the data mart level, PeopleSoft 7 will provide integration with Arbor Essbase OLAP Server, allowing PeopleSoft customers across the enterprise to map PeopleSoft data and meta-data into Arbor Essbase. As part of PeopleSoft's effort to make its applications as open as possible, PeopleSoft 7 will include an Open Query Application Programming Interface (API). Open Query will enable third-parties to provide their reporting tools the same high level of PeopleSoft meta-data integration as Crystal Reports Pro, PeopleSoft Query, and OLAP tools from Cognos and Arbor. The Open Query API is based on the ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) A database programming interface from Microsoft that provides a common language for Windows applications to access databases on a network. API, which has become a standard for data access. PeopleSoft 7 will deliver the Open Query API in the form of an ODBC driver which is registered to any Microsoft Windows application that supports ODBC. Application Designer - New Development Environment PeopleSoft 7 marks the introduction of Application Designer, a single new development tool with full drag-and-drop support that combines PeopleTools such as Data Designer, Panel Designer, Menu Designer, Business Process Designer, and Upgrade Manager. Application Designer presents a project-oriented view of a user's development activities and provides a comprehensive inventory of the components that make up an application, for example, records, panels, menus, and PeopleCode. With Application Designer, users can create and edit these objects, with full locking capabilities, using the same tool, in a single, powerful, integrated development environment See IDE. integrated development environment - interactive development environment . New Applications Shipping with PeopleSoft 7 In 1996, PeopleSoft successfully launched its Manufacturing application suite. With PeopleSoft 7, the company enhances its manufacturing and distribution offering with two new applications, PeopleSoft Engineering and PeopleSoft Product Configurator (See today's related news release). Availability PeopleSoft 7, including PeopleSoft Financials, Manufacturing, Distribution, HRMS HRMS Human Resource Management System HRMS High Resolution Microwave Survey (SETI, Project Phoenix) HRMS High Resolution Mass Spectroscopy HRMS High Resolution Molecular Spectroscopy HRMS Human Resources Management Specialist , and Red Pepper supply chain planning products, as well as PeopleSoft's self-service Universal Applications, will be generally available in September 1997. Tailored versions of PeopleSoft 7 for government and education, as well as for geographic regions worldwide, will follow on a schedule to be announced To be announced (TBA) A contract for the purchase or sale of an MBS to be delivered at an agreed-upon future date but does not include a specified pool number and number of pools or precise amount to be delivered. . About PeopleSoft PeopleSoft Inc. (NASDAQ:PSFT) was established in 1987 to provide innovative software solutions that meet the changing business demands of enterprises worldwide. A client/server applications pioneer and market leader, PeopleSoft develops, markets, and supports a complete suite of enterprise solutions for finance, materials management, distribution, supply chain planning, manufacturing, and human resources. In addition, PeopleSoft provides industry-specific enterprise solutions to customers in select markets including communications, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, higher education, public sector, services, transportation, U.S. federal government, and utilities. With more than 1,700 customers around the world, the company has been recognized for both its award-winning customer service and its remarkable growth. PeopleSoft was listed by Fortune Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in America in 1994, 1995, and again in 1996. PeopleSoft product and service information is located on the World Wide Web at http://www.peoplesoft.com . -0- Note to Editors: PeopleSoft, the PeopleSoft logo, PeopleTools, PS/nVision, PeopleCode, and PeopleBooks are registered trademarks, and PeopleTalk and "We work in your world." are trademarks of PeopleSoft, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. CONTACT: PeopleSoft, Inc. Dan Conway, 510/468-2697 dan_conway@peoplesoft.com or The Horn Group Carol Shen Shen, in the Bible, place, perhaps close to Bethel, near which Samuel set up the stone Ebenezer. , 650/579-6424 cshen@horngroup.com |
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