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Cognos Supporting SQL Server Accelerator for BI Customers

Cognos, a world leader in business intelligence (BI), announced support for Cognos Series 7 on SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server Analysis Services for customers using the new Microsoft SQL Server Accelerator for Business Intelligence. Targeted at BI architects and consultants, SQL Server Accelerator for BI is designed to facilitate rapid development and deployment of customized analytical applications on the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system.

"Cognos has a long history of supporting Microsoft users with the industry's best tools for accessing, analyzing, and sharing critical enterprise-wide corporate information," said Patrick O'Leary, Cognos vice president of strategic alliances. "The SQL Server Accelerator for BI is a benefit to Microsoft customers in that it allows for the rapid creation of analytical applications for SQL Server 2000 and Analysis Services. Cognos supports and continues to extend the Microsoft platform to provide mission critical business intelligence for customers."

Offering the full spectrum of BI capabilities with robust reporting, analysis, ad hoc query, scorecarding, visualization, and data mart creation, Cognos Series 7 delivers a unique business intelligence environment that allows users to navigate information intuitively and manage corporate performance from a central portal. Investing in a longtime relationship with Microsoft for the delivery of BI, Cognos embraces and extends Microsoft's data warehousing platform and infrastructure, enhancing the value of the platform with its best-of-breed, end-to-end solutions.

"Enterprise leaders recognize that employees everywhere need access to critical business information to make better decisions faster," said Don Petersen, SQL Server product manager at Microsoft Corp. "We are pleased with the continued integration Cognos delivers to embrace and extend the Microsoft BI platform throughout enterprises. We believe that Cognos' support will provide tremendous benefits to our mutual customers."

About Cognos

Cognos, a world leader in business intelligence (BI), delivers software that helps companies improve business performance by enabling effective decision-making at all levels of the organization. A forerunner in defining the BI software category, Cognos delivers the next level of competitive advantage-Corporate Performance Management (CPM)-achieved through the strategic application of BI on an enterprise scale.

CPM lets organizations measure execution against business strategy to ensure the two are aligned at all levels across the enterprise. Cognos provides a framework for CPM that links people, information, and decision-making processes throughout the organization, and enables the complete management cycle with integrated software for planning, budgeting, reporting, analysis, and scorecarding.

Cognos serves more than 19,000 customers in over 120 countries. Cognos enterprise business intelligence solutions and services are also available from more than 3,000 worldwide partners and resellers. For more information, visit the Cognos Web site at www.cognos.com.