SAP Partners with Microsoft for Planning and Consolidations

PRESS RELEASE - 18 November 2009

SAP and Microsoft Team Up to Help Customers of All Sizes Improve Business Planning and Consolidations Software Leaders Underline Commitment to Customers Around the Globe Using the Microsoft Platform to Tap the Business Value of SAP® BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation Applications

WALLDORF, Germany - Nov. 18, 2009 -  SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced that Microsoft Corporation supports the SAP® BusinessObjects^TM Planning and Consolidation application, version for the Microsoft platform, as a preferred solution for customers running their business applications on the Microsoft platform. The companies are currently identifying potential targeted go-to-market initiatives to accelerate the adoption of SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation among the Microsoft user base, as well as the SAP® BusinessObjects Edge Planning and Consolidation application among small to midsize organisations. The companies are also planning to collaborate to further optimize these solutions for the Microsoft platform to deliver superior performance for customers at a lower cost of ownership. The companies aim to help customers tap the business value of a best-in-class application to perform efficient and effective planning, budgeting and forecasting and deliver a faster, more compliant financial close.

"SAP has taken an aggressive stance that its business planning and consolidation product from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio can be used by all firms, not just SAP customers," said John Hagerty, vice president and research fellow at AMR Research. "The company commits to continued development and support with Microsoft's product stack. Existing customers and prospects should rest assured they can choose the technical platform that makes most sense for them."

"SAP provides a leading unified planning and consolidation solution that delivers value for customers on the Microsoft platform," said Tom Casey, general manager, SQL Server Business Intelligence, Microsoft Corporation. "The application takes advantage of the latest available versions of Microsoft Office 2007, including integration with Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008, enabling customers to use the familiar tools they work with every day while benefiting from the features of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database and SQL Server Analysis Services."  

Best-in-Class Solution Brings Business Value for Customers

Part of the portfolio of SAP BusinessObjects enterprise performance management (EPM) solutions, SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation, version for the Microsoft platform, is used today by well-known companies including retail information systems provider Toshiba Tec, oil and energy trader Marquard & Bahls and Iberiabank, a leading North American financial institution.

"We chose the application versus competing solutions based on its flexibility to adapt and evolve as our business grows," explains Mark Herpin, financial planning manager, Iberiabank. "We recently upgraded to the new version in conjunction with an upgrade to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and are seeing dramatic performance improvement. We use Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) to calculate most of our banking ratios. Modifying applications and processing can now be done at speed of light compared to before. Reporting performance has exceeded our benchmarks."

Broad Functionality for the Business User

SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation provides business users with a single solution for planning, budgeting, forecasting and financial consolidations. The application allows users to fulfill increasingly strict global regulations and comprehensive legal consolidation requirements.

To provide the most value, and to help customers face the reality of operating in an increasingly complex and globalised world, the application also comes with an International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) starter kit. The kit contains pre-built patented process flows to guide users through the consolidation process and generate consolidated financial statements. Other content, such as charts of accounts and input schedules, is available to help facilitate the transition to IFRS.

In addition to management and legal consolidation capabilities, the application streamlines planning, budgeting and forecasting by supporting top-down and bottom-up planning, which leads to timely, more accurate plans that are aligned with strategic goals. It also helps facilitate collaborative planning across all functions for more accurate budgeting, and enables continuous planning and rolling forecasts to meet rapidly changing business conditions and reduce budget cycle time.

"We see a mutually beneficial opportunity for both Microsoft and SAP to offer customers a best-in-class solution," said Sanjay J. Poonen, executive vice president and general manager, Performance Optimisation Applications, SAP. "For SAP, it strengthens our commitment to operate in both SAP and non-SAP environments. Customers choosing SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation, version for the Microsoft platform, will benefit from an application that drives agile planning and compliant consolidation processes within their organisations. Microsoft's support for SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation further underlines SAP's leading vision, commitment and execution in the EPM market, and underscores the business value that our ongoing strategic partnership delivers to customers."

About SAP

SAP is the world's leading provider of business software(*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 92,000 customers in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol "SAP." For more information, visit www.sap.com.

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