Sterling Software Data Access Division Announces Business Alliance With Oracle; Alliance combines two leading OLAP technologies: Sterling's CLEAR data access product suite and Oracle Express Server multidimensional database server.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 1996--The Data Access Division of Sterling Software (SSW-NYSE), one of the ten largest software companies in the world, today announced a business alliance with Oracle Corp. The goal of the alliance, which packages together Sterling's CLEAR product suite and Oracle Express Server, is to provide Sterling and Oracle customers with key benefits -- including simplified access to, and manipulation of, large amounts of complex data -- of these two complementary on-line analytical processing (OLAP) technologies.

CLEAR:Access and CLEAR:Manage combine OLAP and "wizard" technology to provide managed data access to virtually any information source across the enterprise. CLEAR-Access version 3.0 employs Intelligent Data Objects that enable both novice and experienced users to rapidly obtain, manipulate and view multidimensional data from more than 70 popular databases, ranging from production relational databases to data warehouses and legacy systems. CLEAR:Manage provides information system managers with the ability to monitor and control data access.

Oracle Express Server is an open multidimensional database (MDD) engine that not only stores multidimensional data, but also accesses information from a full range of database sources and transforms data "on-the-fly" into multidimensional arrays for viewing and analysis. This capability allows the multidimensional engine to act as a "cache" for data, temporarily storing information while providing users with OLAP capabilities.

The packaging of Oracle Express Server with Sterling's CLEAR solutions offers several key benefits:

-- Business users can rapidly access information from a wide variety of enterprise sources while the actual data source -- and the means by which it is accessed -- remains transparent to the end user;

-- A wide range of existing data sources -- production databases, relational data warehouses, legacy applications -- can be leveraged in a highly functional manner, extending the life and functionality of an organization's information system investment;

-- Business users are provided with multidimensional information and analysis in one simple location -- networked PCs running a graphical user interface.

"Our strategy with Oracle Express Server technology is to combine the best of both worlds through OLAP capabilities on both relational and multidimensional data. With its CLEAR product suite, Sterling enables users to access the Express Server and view information virtually any way," said Jeff Stamen, senior vice president, OLAP Products Division, Oracle Corporation. "Packaging the CLEAR and Oracle Express technologies together truly provides our customers with superior solutions to enable easy and rapid data access, manipulation and analysis utilizing information located throughout the enterprise."

Commenting on the agreement, Sterling's Data Access Division President Agnes Lewis said, "Both Oracle Express Server and Sterling's CLEAR solutions give business users what they really want: Information access and OLAP tools that operate in complex, real-world information system environments. Both our existing customers and future users will benefit greatly from this synergistic alliance of two software industry leaders."

Sterling Software Data Access Division Background Information

Sterling Software's Data Access Division specializes in managed data access, providing business intelligence software for business end-users and the ability to manage access for maximum benefit. Sterling Software, headquartered in Dallas, is a worldwide provider of software products and services for electronic commerce, applications management and systems management, as well as highly technical professional services for the federal government. Sterling Software is one of the ten largest software companies in the world with 3,600 employees, 75 offices worldwide and an installed base of almost 40,000 customer sites in over 60 countries. -0-

Note to Editors: CLEAR:Access and CLEAR:Manage are trademarks of Sterling Software, Inc. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Sterling Software, Inc.

Data Access Division

Bruce McCalley, 404/231-8575 ext. 2919

[e-mail]

or

Crescent Communications

Ruth Doering, 770/698-8650 ext. 109

[e-mail]

John DeWitt, 770/698-8650 ext. 112

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