SAP and Partners Deliver Business Analytics and Strategic Insight for SMEs


SAP® Business One Customers Gain Access to Business-Critical Information and Reporting with New Solutions from SoftBrands, PARIS Technologies and Third Wave Business Systems

AUSTIN, Texas, June 13 / -- Addressing growing demand among small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) for improved business insight and optimized decision-making, SAP America, Inc., a subsidiary of SAP AG (NYSE:SAP), today announced the addition of new analytical and business intelligence capabilities developed by independent software vendors (ISVs) for SAP® Business One, the integrated business management solution for SMEs. Leveraging the core business intelligence and analytic capabilities of SAP Business One, ISV partners SoftBrands, PARIS Technologies and Third Wave Business Systems are providing new functionality for advanced internal reporting, improved strategic insight and enhanced productivity. The announcement was made at TECH 2006: The AICPA Information Technology Conference, being held from June 12-14, in Austin, Texas.

A key part of SAP's ecosystem strategy is fostering co-innovation and embracing partners that are developing solutions to meet the diverse needs of customers. By developing seamless interfaces for SAP Business One, SAP's ISV partners are creating an integrated business management platform that frees SMEs from the excessive time and cost of cobbling together and running disparate applications. The new capabilities integrate with the financial management, manufacturing and customer relationship management capabilities of SAP Business One, and extend the solution's XL Reporter and renowned Drag and Relate technology to create an end-to-end business application delivering analytical capabilities to all lines of business. The combined functionality further enables companies to quickly and easily obtain the information necessary -- where and when it is needed -- to make informed decisions.

"We recognize the importance of business intelligence as a tool that CPAs and small businesses can leverage to improve decision-making and execute on strategy," said John Morrow, AICPA Vice President - The New Finance. "Affordable applications for collecting, analyzing and reporting on financial data are helping our members integrate accounting with all business areas and grow their businesses."

New Partner Functionality Provides Smarter Solution

The SAP Business One ISV program provides certified integration with SAP Business One, ensuring the application connects seamlessly with partner-developed solutions, offering customers the assurance of software effectiveness and compatibility.

PARIS Technologies of Doylestown, PA, has developed PowerAnalytics, a cost-effective application that incorporates database consolidation, corporate performance management, predictive analytics and online analytical processing (OLAP) capabilities into SAP Business One. PowerAnalytics features seamless integration with external data sources, a Web portal for dynamic reporting of key performance indicators, and the creation of dashboards and balanced scorecards enabling key decision-makers to modify and execute operational strategy.

SAP ISV SoftBrands of Minneapolis, MN has released the latest version of its Fourth Shift Edition of SAP Business One, a customized business management solution for small and midsize manufacturers. The new version includes enhanced production reporting, enabling companies to better monitor customer orders and inventory figures and their effects upon financial performance while providing the flexibility to alter output schedules and pricing levels during various stages of production.

Third Wave Business Systems, an SAP ISV from Elmwood Park, NJ, has developed CrystalWave, an innovative application that seamlessly integrates SAP Business One with Crystal Reports, the popular reporting tool. The tight integration combined with the easy-to-use interface of SAP Business One allows users to quickly compile, process and distribute internal reports and documents through a number of electronic formats. CrystalWave can customize and distribute any type of report, from materials purchasing to sales orders, allowing users to complete and quickly circulate personalized reports and invoices for optimized decision-making and improved cash flow measures.

Solution Tools Expedite Process Reporting, Increase Productivity

The new analytical functionality from SAP's ISVs combine with existing features available within SAP Business One to provide a fully-integrated intelligent application, connecting sales and financials with all business areas for enhanced operational control and the proliferation of real-time performance management capabilities. SAP's renowned Drag and Relate technology provides managers with a dashboard-like experience, issuing internal alerts based on real-time performance data for quick, informed decisions. The XL Reporter, contained within SAP Business One, increases employee productivity by integrating with Microsoft Excel for enhanced financial, sales and production reports. XL Reporter utilizes Microsoft Excel as the primary hub for monitoring operations, modifying display data and compiling performance reports, enabling companies to improve overall data quality and quickly enact and update business strategy decisions.

"As small businesses watch their operations grow and their systems produce more and more data, they require solutions that will not only organize and automate business processes, but which also provide detailed analysis of operational information and insight to drive future decision-making," said Dan Kraus, vice president, SAP Business One. "By working with our ISV partners, SAP Business One now delivers a fully-integrated analytical application, providing synchronized reporting and complete decision-support for increased productivity and improved sales figures."

About SAP

SAP is the world's leading provider of business software*. Today, more than 33,200 customers in more than 120 countries run SAP® applications-from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small and midsize enterprises to suite offerings for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver® platform to drive innovation and enable business change, SAP software helps enterprises of all sizes around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP solution portfolios support the unique business processes of more than 25 industries, including high tech, retail, financial services, healthcare and the public sector. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP." (Additional information at http://www.sap.com/)

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:
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For more information, press only:
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SAP Press Office, +49 (6227) 7-46315, CET; +1 (610) 661-3200, EDT; press@sap.com

Torrey Fazen, Burson-Marsteller for SAP, +1 (617) 764-0146, torrey.fazen@ bm.com, EDT

Source: SAP AG

CONTACT: press only, Jim Dever, +1-610-661-2161, or james.dever@sap.com, EDT, or Astrid Polchen, +49 (6227) 7-47644, or astrid.poelchen@sap.com, CET SAP Press Office, +49 (6227) 7-46315, CET; +1-610-661-3200, EDT; press@sap.com, all of SAP; or Torrey Fazen, Burson-Marsteller for SAP,
+1-617-764-0146, torrey.fazen@ bm.com, EDT

Web site: http://www.sap.com/

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