Business Objects Recognized as the Worldwide Revenue Leader in Business Intelligence Tools by Leading Industry Analyst Firm

SAN JOSE, Calif. – July 8, 2004 – Business Objects (Nasdaq: BOBJ; Euronext Paris ISIN code: FR0004026250 - BOB), today announced that it has been named the leader of the business intelligence (BI) tools market, according to the 2003 market share numbers issued last week by IDC. In addition to owning the top market share, Business Objects was recognized as one of the fastest growing business intelligence vendors, with a growth rate of nearly 17%.

The IDC report, “Worldwide Business Intelligence Tools Forecast and Analysis, 2003 – 2008,” combines software license and maintenance revenue data from query, reporting, and analysis tools; data mining software; and packaged data mart and data warehouse products. In the report, IDC notes that in 2003, the BI market grew to $3.9 billion worldwide. Business Objects commanded the top market share with 16.5%, based on 2003 revenues of $639.4 million. In the largest segment of the BI tools market, end-user query, reporting, and analysis, Business Objects captured over 20% of the market. This represents a market share that is almost double that of the next largest competitor.

“Business Objects is clearly the largest business intelligence tools vendor in the market,” said Dan Vesset, research director at IDC. “The BI market continues to show steady growth, and the breadth of products in the Business Objects portfolio should help it remain a dominant player in the market for the foreseeable future.”

“Business Objects is the clear leader in the business intelligence market through innovation and product enhancements,” said Chris Caren, vice president of corporate marketing. “With last week’s launch of BusinessObjects 6.5, we continue to set the standard in business intelligence, delivering the industry’s strongest product line with leading offerings in reporting, ad hoc query and analysis, enterprise performance management, data integration, and analytic applications.”

About Business Objects, an SAP company

Business Objects has been a pioneer in business intelligence (BI) since the dawn of the category. Today, as the world's leading BI software company, Business Objects transforms the way the world works through intelligent information. The company helps illuminate understanding and decision-making at more than 46,000 organizations around the globe. Through a combination of innovative technology, global consulting and education services, and the industry's strongest and most diverse partner network, Business Objects enables companies of all sizes to make transformative business decisions based on intelligent, accurate, and timely information.

Business Objects has dual headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and Paris, France. The company's stock is traded on both the Nasdaq (BOBJ) and Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0004026250 - BOB) stock exchanges. More information about Business Objects can be found at www.businessobjects.com.

Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects and Crystal Reports are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects in the United States and/or other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Business Objects and the Business Objects logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects S.A. or its affiliated companies in the United States and/or other countries.

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