Business Objects Ups the Ante in Business Intelligence

Business Objects (Nasdaq:BOBJ) (Euronext Paris ISIN code: FR0004026250 - BOB), the world’s leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced the availability of Information OnDemand, the only online store where companies can access easy-to-analyze external market information with the click of a button enabling them to see the true picture of their organization’s performance. Information OnDemand from Business Objects allows companies to gain a view beyond their internal data and quickly perform market research, sales planning, financial and competitive analysis, and industry benchmarking, using the market’s leading business intelligence solutions. "Today we make it much easier for our customers to gain real insight into their business based on a holistic market view,” said Steve Lucas, vice president of On Demand Software and Services at Business Objects. "Much the way preparing a gourmet meal yourself requires extensive time, effort, and expertise, until now, it has been cumbersome and time-intensive to effectively gather the right external information and make it available for key business functions like market analysis and benchmarking. Information OnDemand delivers a five-star experience, allowing companies to instantly access data they need in pre-built, customizable reports and dashboards to easily compare and integrate what’s happening in the outside world with internal business information.” In addition to the opening of the online store, Business Objects is also announcing the availability of eBay market data. Through a new partnership with Data Unison, master distributor of eBay market data, the store will now provide access to eBay data, the world’s largest e-commerce data set. Powerful information such as sales and market numbers for top-selling brands, geographic and demographic data for purchases will be delivered pre-packaged and ready for analysis. For example, a retailer in the Bay Area could access the eBay sales patterns of the Nintendo® Wii by state, from May to June, to instantly understand where market demand is high, or supply may be running low, in order to create a marketing promotion for that region or to analyze price sensitivity to new product releases. "Integrating eBay data with Business Objects business intelligence software creates opportunities for businesses to access our data in an easy to use, ready to analyze format, offering a range of analysis on key retail and aggregate consumer behavior data,” said Max Mancini, senior director of disruptive innovation at eBay. "This is a powerful combination for companies who want to easily gain insight into their market and take action to gain a competitive edge.” Anyone can access the online store and choose from a menu of pre-built reports with configurable parameters. The reports and dashboards, immediately available, are based on data from well-known industry sources, with information on millions of companies. Sources include: Thomson Financial – the leading provider of market and securities data and other financial services providing data on organizations in 70 countries across the globe eBay – world’s largest online marketplace Bureau of Economic Analysis – an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Labor Statistics – the principal fact finding agency for the U.S. Federal Government in the broad field of labor and economic statistics Dun & Bradstreet – leading source of commercial information and insight on businesses Pricing and Availability Business Objects’ online store offering Information OnDemand is generally available. Customers can choose to buy one report or purchase a subscription which provides a set amount of users with unlimited access to reports. Pricing starts from as low as $150. Visit the Business Objects Information OnDemand online store today to get more information at www.ondemand.com/information. About Business Objects Business Objects has been a pioneer in business intelligence (BI) since the dawn of the category. Today, as the world’s leading BI software company, Business Objects transforms the way the world works through intelligent information. The company helps illuminate understanding and decision-making at more than 44,000 organizations around the globe. Through a combination of innovative technology, global consulting and education services, and the industry’s strongest and most diverse partner network, Business Objects enables companies of all sizes to make transformative business decisions based on intelligent, accurate, and timely information. Business Objects has dual headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and Paris, France. The company’s stock is traded on both the Nasdaq (BOBJ) and Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0004026250 - BOB) stock exchanges. More information about Business Objects can be found at www.businessobjects.com. The Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects, Crystal Reports, Crystal Decisions, Web Intelligence, and Xcelsius are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects in the United States and/or other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.