BEDFORD, Mass., July 14 2008 –- Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS), a global supplier of application infrastructure software used to develop, deploy, integrate and manage business applications, announced today the availability of Progress® EasyAsk® for Operational Business Intelligence (BI) 11.0. With the EasyAsk for Operational BI 11.0 product, enhanced data analysis capabilities can be delivered from a single user interface that combines natural language ad hoc querying and analysis with the ability to search for existing reports by simply typing questions into a single search box, which immediately delivers results. These capabilities enable business intelligence to become more pervasive across and beyond the enterprise because business users can use the product with little or no learning curve – much like using a web search engine. This new EasyAsk release also offers customizable dashboards to enhance visualization.

Dan Vesset, program vice president, Business Analytics research at IDC commented: "Achieving pervasive business intelligence requires several organizational, process, and technology capabilities. A key characteristic of the latter is easy access to information, contextual presentation of information through various interfaces, including dashboards and reports, and guided analytics. The latest EasyAsk release extends the product's capabilities from natural language query or ’search-like’ information access to guided and ad-hoc analytics, assisting end-users in collaborative data analysis and subsequent decision-making across any business function."

With EasyAsk for Operational BI 11.0, users can ask the system questions as they would a person. For example, “Show me the growth in sales of widgets for each customer from last year to this year,” would receive an immediate response plus links to existing relevant reports in a single view. This information can then be saved and shared among colleagues as a dynamic or static report enhancing collaboration across the enterprise.

Alta Cornelissen, manager, Business Excellence for Europ Assistance, said: “EasyAsk for Operational BI has saved our company countless man hours by allowing us to easily create savable and searchable reports rather than re-creating the query each time information is needed. Because the reports can be saved as graphs or charts, it is easy to share the information and track changes in the data.”

To help employees monitor the status of critical information, the EasyAsk for Operational BI 11.0 software includes customizable desktop dashboards that allow users to determine the information they wish to monitor on a regular basis. Constant updates prompt users to analyze the data further by conducting follow-on ad hoc queries. With the ability to delve deeper into data when potential issues are raised, employees can resolve them faster and make a greater impact on business.

While users are typing their questions, EasyAsk for Operational BI 11.0 automatically suggests questions related to the query and the data available. The result is that users receive intuitive guidance into the content of the underlying data that otherwise might be unknown to them. The suggested questions also help uncover recently asked questions by other users that are specific to the words the current user is typing.

Dr. Larry Harris, vice president and general manager of Progress EasyAsk noted: “According to research from The Data Warehouse Institute (TDWI), only 20% of an organization’s employees have access to business intelligence.1 EasyAsk for Operational BI 11.0 helps organizations make business intelligence more accessible and delivers it to the other 80%. Our EasyAsk software is specifically designed to place easy to use, powerful BI capabilities into the hands of business users so that they can act on the data, make better decisions, and drive the business forward.”

About Progress Software Corporation

Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) provides application infrastructure software for the development, deployment, integration and management of business applications. Our goal is to maximize the benefits of information technology while minimizing its complexity and total cost of ownership. Progress can be reached at www.progress.com or +1-781-280-4000.

Progress and EasyAsk are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation or one of its affiliates or subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks or service marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Eckerson, Wayne, TDWI’s Best of BI, Vol. 5., 2007, “Contemplating Consolidation”, p. 14.