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Business Objects to Host 7th Annual Int'l User Conference

Business Objects, a leading provider of business intelligence (BI) solutions, announced its seventh annual international user conference. The 2001 Business Objects International User Conference will be held October 21-24, 2001, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. This year's conference theme, "360(degree) of Business Intelligence," will address the importance of gaining a comprehensive, universal view of customers and business, and the steps necessary to make this 360 degree view a reality.

Bernard Liautaud, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Business Objects, will open the session with his address entitled, "Welcome to the Age of Analytics." Liautaud will discuss how companies can compete and succeed in this new economic environment. There also will be a demonstration of the new products in Business Objects Analytics, the company's suite of integrated enterprise analytic applications.

Industry Leaders to Keynote

In addition to Liautaud, several industry figures will present. Business Intelligence thought-leaders from the industry analyst community will discuss and debate topics ranging from the capabilities of BI extranets to directions in analytic applications and mobile intelligence. These leaders include Howard Dresner, Gartner, Inc.; Keith Gile, Giga Information Group; and Doug Laney, Meta Group.

Larry Downes, co-author of the best-selling book "Unleashing the Killer App" and technology magazine columnist, will keynote the conference. Downes' presentation, "Business Intelligence in an Age of Disposable Computing," will focus on how companies can increasingly pull data across organizational borders, from up and down the supply chain, to improve productivity and cut costs.

"We are looking forward to this year's conference and sharing insight to the latest information, technologies, and trends that are making BI essential to business success," said Jon Temple, senior vice president and general manager of Business Objects Americas. "Conference attendees will learn how to gain maximum value from the information they own and turn it into more bottom line benefits than ever before."

Business Objects also will offer 10 "track themes" and more than 60 track sessions to help business professionals get maximum value from BI applications. For executives deploying strategic BI projects, there are many sessions such as:

• Gaining Intelligence from a Mountain of Data
• Making Extranet Implementations Secure
• Empowering your Salesforce with Business Intelligence

Technical staff will benefit from detailed sessions such as:

• XML and Business Intelligence
• UNIX System Performance Management and Deployment
• Enabling Drill Across Report Functionality

Some of Business Objects customers who are presenting their BI success stories in track sessions include: 3M, Duke Energy, eBay, Enron, Fairchild Semiconductor, Ford Motor Company, John Deere, Owens & Minor, Sara Lee Hanes Printables, and Zurich North America Insurance.

Business Objects Fourth Annual Excellence Awards

In addition to the conference sessions, Business Objects will present the winners of the fourth annual Customer Excellence Awards. These awards recognize customers who demonstrate excellence in business intelligence by delivering applications that provide significant benefits to their end users and organizations. Last year's winners were Canadian Pacific Railway, The Chase Manhattan Bank, Ingram Micro, MasterCard International, and Military Health System. Business Objects customers who are interested in applying for this year's customer excellence awards, please email pr@businessobjects.com.

Registration

For more information on the 2001 Business Objects International User Conference, please visit www.businessobjects.com/userconference or call 800-803-5486 (within US) or 781-278-2621 (outside US).

About Business Objects

Business Objects is a 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 BUSINESSOBJECTS 2000, the industry's leading integrated business intelligence toolset and platform; and BUSINESSOBJECTS ANALYTICS, an integrated suite of enterprise analytic applications.

Business Objects pioneered the modern BI industry in 1990 by inventing a patented "semantic layer" that insulates users from the complexity of databases. In 1995, the company was first to focus on enterprise-scale BI deployments and today supports customers with more than 20,000 users. The company moved aggressively to the Internet in 1997 by pioneering the market for BI extranets, a market that it continues to lead today. In 2000, the company delivered the industry's first interactive mobile BI solution. Today, Business Objects continues to innovate, creating and delivering a unique vision for enterprise analytic applications.

Business Objects has more than 13,500 customers in over 170 countries. Business Objects can be reached at 408-953-6000 and www.businessobjects.com.

Contact Business Objects, Melissa Biel, 408-953-6105, mbiel@businessobjects.com.