Business Objects and Bull Services Help Michigan Department of Human Services Improve Business Processes and Make Better Decisions

Business Objects (Nasdaq:BOBJ)(Euronext Paris ISIN code:FR0004026250 - BOB) and Bull Services today announced that theMichigan Department of Human Services (DHS) has deployed a businessintelligence solution based on a Bull Services data warehouse and theBusiness Objects BI platform for query and analysis. Michigan DHS,responsible for providing services to 1.4 million residents, uses theBI solution to help meet its information access needs and increase theefficiency of more than 10,000 staff members across all 83 Michigancounties.

Michigan DHS manages approximately $4 billion in funds for many ofMichigan's critical programs, including foster care, child supportservices, and food and cash assistance. DHS front-line staff membersuse the business intelligence solution to access hundreds ofpre-defined reports ranging from foster care out-of-home placementinformation to child protective service reports that are used toassist workers in dealing with abused or neglected children. On anygiven day, as many as 3,500 DHS case workers log onto the datawarehouse to fulfill their information needs. Another 300 "powerusers" among DHS staff members take advantage of crafting advancedqueries to analyze the data to improve business processes and makebetter decisions.

The Business Objects software accesses data stored in one of thenation's most sophisticated enterprise data warehouses. The datawarehouse was designed, built, and implemented by the State ofMichigan and Bull Services, and has been recognized as a best-in-classsolution by the National Governors Association (NGA), the NationalAssociation of State CIOs (NASCIO), and The Data WarehousingInstitute. In addition to DHS, data from the Department of CommunityHealth (DCH), Department of Treasury, and the courts also resides inthe warehouse.

"Having fast and easy access to information is important to ourfront-line workers," said George Noonan, manager of the Central DataUnit for the Michigan DHS Field Operations Administration. "It iscritical that our staff members are able to get quick answers withoutbeing a technical expert. We now have a business intelligence systemwith clarity and simplicity to make managing our data easier. Ourfield people are on the front lines delivering services to our valuedMichigan citizens, so it is important they have the tools to do theirjob correctly."

Business Objects and Bull Services Strengthen Partnership

In addition to the deployment at Michigan DHS, Business Objectsand Bull Services are working together at several other public sectoragencies as part of an expanded partner relationship that includes anew reseller agreement. The partnership combines the Business Objectssuite of industry-leading business intelligence software, includingreporting, query and analysis, data integration, and performancemanagement products, with Bull Services' Knowledge(TM) Framework, aninformation management infrastructure which consists of the industry'smost robust combination of people, products, processes, tools, andtechnologies dedicated to public sector agencies. In North America,the two companies will focus the majority of their efforts in theHealth and Human Services (HHS) and Public Safety & Justice (PS&J)arenas, in which each brings years of success and expertise.

"This strengthened partnership will benefit both companies and theagencies we serve," said Mike Berman, vice president and generalmanager of Bull Services Public Sector Solutions Division. "Bothcompanies focus on helping agencies rapidly access and transform rawdata into information to produce knowledge and ongoing value. Thishelps them dramatically improve their management and decision-makingcapability, which enables them to lower their costs, reduce theirrisks, achieve their goals, improve service delivery to citizens, andimprove their ROI -- today and in the future. Bull Services is proudto work with a partner like Business Objects, which shares this sameunderlying philosophy."

"Business Objects provides reporting, analysis, and performancemanagement solutions that empower Medicaid and human servicesprofessionals to deliver cost effective, responsive, and qualityservices to their citizens," said Jay Johnson, vice president of thegovernment business unit at Business Objects. "Michigan DHS is a greatexample of how Business Objects BI solutions help transform the wayhealth and human services agencies work to bridge the gap betweentheir mission and the limited resources available to achieve thatmission. Our partnership with Bull Services provides a compellingsolution for agencies looking to leverage industry-leading BI and datawarehousing solutions to improve their performance."

About Bull Services

Bull Services, the leading end-to-end business intelligencesolutions company dedicated to state and local government, with apresence in 29 states and 150 agencies. The company delivers itssolutions through an open, fast, flexible and complete informationmanagement infrastructure, the Bull Services Knowledge(TM) Framework,which consists of the industry's most robust combination of people,products, processes, tools, and technologies dedicated to publicsector agencies. Bull Services focuses on the Health & Human Services,Public Safety & Justice, and Tax & Treasury markets, and its solutionshave been recognized by the National Governors Association (NGA), theNational Association of State CIOs (NASCIO), and The Data WarehousingInstitute. Bull Services, headquartered in Billerica, Mass., is partof Bull, a $1.4 billion worldwide information solution company. Moreinformation about Bull Services can be found at www.bull.com/us.

About Business Objects

Business Objects is the world's leading business intelligence (BI)software company. With more than 30,000 customers worldwide, includingover 80 percent of the Fortune 500, Business Objects helpsorganizations gain better insight into their business, improvedecision making, and optimize enterprise performance. The company'sbusiness intelligence platform, BusinessObjects(TM) XI, offers the BIindustry's most advanced and complete platform for reporting, queryand analysis, performance management, and data integration.BusinessObjects XI includes Crystal Reports(R), the industry standardfor enterprise reporting. Business Objects has built the industry'sstrongest and most diverse partner community, and also offersconsulting and education services to help customers effectively deploytheir business intelligence projects.

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

Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects,WebIntelligence, Crystal Reports, Crystal Enterprise, CrystalAnalysis, RapidMarts, and BusinessQuery are trademarks or registeredtrademarks of Business Objects S.A. or its affiliated companies in theUnited States and/or other countries. Bull Services is thego-to-market name for the legal entity, Integris Inc. Knowledge("Knowledge Now") is a registered trademark of Bull Services/IntegrisInc. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of theirrespective owners.