DS* SPSS UNVEILS AGGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLANS; 1999 PRODUCT

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SPSS UNVEILS AGGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLANS; 1999 PRODUCT RELEASES WILL FOCUS ON SCALABILITY AND DEPLOYMENT SOLUTIONS FOR THE ENTERPRISE

With stores of enterprise data growing daily, organizations need analytical products that maximize their data warehouse investment and allow them to not only stay competitive but gain a critical edge in the marketplace. SPSS Inc.'s 1999 development strategies for its core analytic line focus on helping companies meet these challenges successfully, through the introduction of products that offer unique insight into the corporate "numbers" through scalable analytical solutions as well as creative mechanisms to deploy results throughout organizations.

"We have an aggressive product development schedule planned for our core analytic products in 1999," said Jack Noonan, SPSS Inc. president and CEO. "Businesses are searching for ways to leverage the tremendous amounts of data they are accumulating on a daily basis, and we will address this with our client/server product development plans. But to really transform their organization, businesses have to go beyond traditional or even OLAP-based reporting. SPSS products provide a unique way to deliver analytical results to those who have first-hand knowledge of the numbers and the dynamics affecting them. Our plans for deployment products make collaboration between managers and staff possible, and enable them to make critical business decisions based on results of in-depth analysis - that's when the transformation really occurs."

In addition to it's plans to address scalability and deployment, SPSS also expects to release products targeted at specific analytical applications. Specific information about these upcoming products will be released in the future.

Scalability

SPSS expects to release a number of client/server (C/S) products for analyzing significantly larger data files - such as the kind typically found in data warehouses and data marts - than currently possible with SPSS. All data will be processed on the server, enabling end users to analyze more data, more efficiently than ever before. Included among these C/S releases:

SPSS Server

The C/S version of SPSS' flagship data analysis will support Windows 95 and 98 on the client side and both NT and Unix on the server side. The company also plans to features several new components including reengineered data handling mechanisms for faster and more efficient processing as well as expanded and enriched data access capabilities. SPSS also plans to expand the product's analytical capabilities. SPSS Server is expected to ship in the fall of 1999.

Clementine Server

A C/S version of this recently acquired data mining product is expected in mid-1999. This product, known for its visual programming environment will also undergo a functionality upgrade in late 1999. It is expected to feature significant integration with the SPSS line and to add more analytical and presentation capabilities to Clementine, as well as additional data access and deployment options. For previous announcement on Clementine development plans, go to http://www.spss.com/press/clementine2.htm.

DecisionTime Server

The first product of its kind, DecisionTime is expected to make sophisticated statistical techniques for forecasting available to more people. Users simply select which data elements to forecast, and DecisionTime does the rest, automatically finding the best model for the data. This breakthrough product is as easy to use as a spreadsheet, yet as reliable as high-end forecasting tools and will include a "What-if" module for deployment (see below). A client-only version of DecisionTime is expected to ship in mid 1999. The DecisionTime Server is expected to ship in late 1999.

AnswerTree Server

AnswerTree decision tree software for classification and segmentation is expected to ship a C/S version in late 1999/early 2000. The product will also include the ability to score individual items or an entire data set. This scoring will enable, for example, models developed on current customer data to be applied to data on prospects and then the user can determine the prospect's likelihood of purchase.

Deployment

The second part of SPSS' product development strategy focuses on deployment vehicles. These deployment products will deliver analytical benefits throughout an organization in a manner that goes far beyond standard reporting. The idea is to allow more people throughout an organization to collect, consume and/or explore analytical results (generated elsewhere in the enterprise) collectively and then to make better business decisions for the enterprise. Included in these plans are:

SPSS Data Entry Web Server

builds on SPSS Data Entry Network Server released in late 1998. The new product enables any type of forms-based data collection, including online surveys, to be deployed throughout the organization. Making SPSS Data Entry Web Server particularly powerful is its on-the-fly data checking and validation as responses are entered. No software needs to be installed on the respondent's client machine. SPSS Data Entry Web Server is expected to be released 2nd quarter 1999.

ScoreCard(1)

is expected to offer a powerful solution for the real-time scoring of individual cases or batch scoring of entire data files, initially working off models built by AnswerTree. Available as a component that can be embedded into existing applications, ScoreCard extends AnswerTree's value and practical application throughout the enterprise. In a consumer behavior application, new cases (such as respondents to a promotional mailing) can be scored to determine their likelihood of purchase. It will also be possible to do real-time scoring of visitors to a corporate Web Site. HTML forms could be automatically generated from the model results in order to collect the information needed to do the scoring. The ScoreCard component is expected in 2nd quarter.

WhatIf?

is a tool designed to deliver the benefits of advanced forecasting techniques to a wider audience than was ever practical before. After DecisionTime generates and saves a model, others can turn to WhatIf? to adjust variables and create different scenarios based on their expertise and perspective.

For example, an executive notices that the revenue forecasts are consistently way off the mark every quarter for certain product lines. Using DecisionTime, individual product managers develop and save a model of forecasting revenues based on past results for each group. The product managers can then distribute the models via WhatIf? Sales managers can get a better idea of what variables most affect revenue levels, and then improve forecasts by adjusting the levels of those variables to match current plans with the more accurate forecasts. Production and inventory management teams can also make better decisions about resource allocation and control costs more effectively. WhatIf? will be released along with DecisionTime in mid 1999.

SmartViewer Web Server

was the first enterprise-wide deployment product from SPSS. It offers more complete browser-based publishing and reporting for those who want to slice, dice and drill down into pre-defined OLAP report cubes and graphs, without disturbing the enterprise source data. Enhancements to SmartViewer Web Server which further expand its web-based analytical and publishing capabilities are expected in late 1999.