Department of Defense EMALL Saves Time Streamlining Data Analysis With Business Objects

World’s Largest Online Marketplace for Military Supplies UsesBusiness Objects for Purchasing Analysis and Supplier Extranet

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Jan. 8, 2003 -- Business Objects (Nasdaq: BOBJ), the world’s leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has implemented Business Objects to better manage and streamline the data-analysis requirements for the U.S. Department of Defense’s Electronic Commerce Mall (DoD EMALL). The DoD EMALL provides access for military personnel around the world to a wide variety of goods including uniforms, food, weapons, and equipment stored in DLA warehouses, as well as items secured through long-term contracts with leading vendors.

The DLA sought a business intelligence solution to streamline its reporting processes and eliminate the need for its IT professionals to develop ad hoc reports when managers were analyzing purchase and inventory data for the millions of SKUs in the system. Business Objects provides DLA managers with visibility into the buying patterns of DoD EMALL customers, and enables them to drill down through the aggregated transaction data to identify and analyze the specific items ordered and determine purchasing trends. This analysis allows the DLA to leverage the agency’s purchasing power to reduce costs through bulk purchases.

The DLA also receives frequent requests from the thousands of participating DoD EMALL vendors and buyers for current purchase and inventory data. By deploying a flexible, scalable, and secure Business Objects-enabled extranet, the DLA has extended the solution’s robust data analysis capabilities to DoD EMALL users outside the DLA, while simultaneously reducing the burden on its IT department.

A “Must Have” Solution for Global Marketplaces
“The accurate, easy, and customized delivery of data is a `must have’ for a market of this scope and magnitude,” said Don O’Brien, DoD EMALL program manager at the Defense Logistics Agency. “To improve sales, EMALL marketers need accurate and timely data on customer behavior. To better manage purchasing, vendors need reports on order histories and related data. Business Objects enables us to deliver this data at a substantial reduction in time and expense. “

In addition to helping DoD EMALL thrive as a global online marketplace, the Business Objects solution is helping to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs throughout the Department of Defense.

“By providing easy access to essential business information, Business Objects enables our Department of Defense analyst users to easily analyze purchasing trends and leverage their organization’s purchasing power to save time and money,” commented Gabrielle Zimmerman, deputy DoD EMALL program manager at the Defense Logistics Agency.

The business intelligence solution from Business Objects in use by the DLA includes BusinessObjectsTM, an integrated query, reporting, and analysis solution for the enterprise, and WebIntelligence®, the leading business intelligence solution for the web. One of the key selling points was the intuitive graphical user-interface of each product, which enables users with non-technical backgrounds to easily create complex reports. This allows the agency’s IT department to focus on value-added activities, instead of report generation and ad hoc queries.

“Government entities are using Business Objects for a wide variety of projects,” said Dave Kellogg, senior group vice president of worldwide marketing at Business Objects. “The DLA has implemented a state-of-the–art electronic marketplace, and we are very proud to be playing a role in its continued success. This implementation is yet another example of how business intelligence solutions from Business Objects can save significant amounts of time and money for our government customers.”

About Business Objects
Business Objects is the world's leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions. Business intelligence lets organizations access, analyze, and share information internally with employees and externally with customers, suppliers, and partners. It helps organizations improve operational efficiency, build profitable customer relationships, and develop differentiated product offerings.

The company's products include data integration tools, the industry's leading integrated business intelligence platform, and a suite of enterprise analytic applications. Business Objects is the first to offer a complete BI solution that is composed of best-of-breed components, giving organizations the means to deploy end-to-end BI to the enterprise, from data extraction to analytic applications.

Business Objects has more than 16,500 customers in over 80 countries. The company's stock is publicly traded under the ticker symbols NASDAQ: BOBJ and Euronext Paris (Euroclear code 12074). It is included in the SBF 120 and IT CAC 50 French stock market indexes. Business Objects can be reached at 408-953-6000 and www.businessobjects.com