SAP Business Objects Positioned in Leaders Quadrant for Corporate Performance Management Suites

Evaluation Based on Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute

PALO ALTO, Calif. and WALLDORF, Germany - December 22, 2008 - Business Objects, an SAP company (NYSE: SAP) and the world's leading provider of solutions that optimize business performance, today announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the leaders quadrant of the "Magic Quadrant for Corporate Performance Management (CPM) Suites"1 report.

According to Gartner, "Leaders' performances excel in the CPM suite market segment. They can deliver breadth and depth of CPM suite functionality, as well as provide enterprisewide implementations to support a broad CPM strategy. Leaders successfully articulate a business proposition that resonates with buyers, and are supported by the viability and operational capability to deliver on a global basis."

Given the current economic climate, Business Objects believes that it is critical for organizations to have a comprehensive enterprise performance management (EPM) strategy that goes beyond finance and optimizes operational performance in all areas of the business. With its portfolio of EPM solutions, Business Objects provides customers with performance management capabilities that span the entire organization, giving them a holistic view of their business performance and the ability to quickly identify and address financial and operational challenges. The EPM portfolio from SAP and Business Objects enables profitable and compliant business performance.

In addition, Business Objects has an integrated solution that allows companies to define their business strategy while taking into account both external and internal risk factors. By combining the SAP® Strategy Management application with the SAP® GRC Risk Management application, Business Objects gives customers a way to enact a risk-adjusted approach to strategy. Particularly important given the current economy, companies can create their business plans while proactively addressing any risks that might inhibit their success, all as part of their daily business operations.

"We believe our leadership position in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for CPM Suites is a result of the synergies being achieved between SAP and Business Objects," said Anthony Reynolds, general manager, Enterprise Performance Management Solutions, Business Objects. "Since 2007, we have grown tremendously-growing more quickly than other EPM vendors. One of the cornerstones of our success, as well as a key differentiator, has been our vision for the convergence of EPM, GRC and BI. We understand that in order to respond quickly and effectively to changing business conditions, customers need a unified approach that includes all three business disciplines. Business Objects sees this report as a strong validation of our enterprise performance management vision and strategy, which has been developed in alignment with our customers."

Business Objects offers a broad and deep set of EPM solutions that cover the following areas: strategy management, business planning and consolidation, profitability and cost management, financial consolidation and spend analytics

1Gartner "Magic Quadrant for Corporate Performance Management (CPM) Suites" by Neil Chandler, Nigel Rayner, John E. Van Decker, Dec. 19, 2008.

About the Magic Quadrant
The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted December 2008 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Business Objects
Business Objects, an SAP company, transforms the way the world works by connecting people, information and businesses. With open, heterogeneous applications in the areas of governance, risk and compliance; enterprise performance management; and business intelligence, Business Objects enables organizations of all sizes worldwide to close the gap between business strategy and execution. Together with a strong and diverse partner network, Business Objects allows customers to optimize business performance across all major industries including banking, retail, consumer-packaged goods and public sector. Business Objects is committed to helping customers turn raw data into actionable decisions, regardless of their underlying database, operating system, applications or IT system.

For more information about Business Objects, visit: www.businessobjects.com.
For more information about SAP, visit: www.sap.com.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

Copyright © 2008 SAP AG. All rights reserved.
SAP, R/3, mySAP, mySAP.com, xApps, xApp, SAP NetWeaver and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects, Crystal Reports, Crystal Decisions, Web Intelligence, Xcelsius and other Business Objects products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects S.A. in the United States and in several other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serve informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.

For customers interested in learning more about Business Objects products:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:
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SAP Press Office, +49 (6227) 7-46315, CET; +1 (610) 661-3200, EST; press@sap.com
Kimberly Cole, Burson-Marsteller, +1 917-325-4492, kimberly.cole@bm.com, EST
Nicole Urhahn-Schmitt, Burson-Marsteller, +49 (0)69 2 38 09-43, nicole.urhahn-schmitt@bm.com, CEST

SAP Initial Entry of Applicant Data HR Recruitment Grouping of Applicant Data

Use

Initial entry of applicant data takes place using fast data entry. This procedure involves two steps, and comprises the applicant actions Initial entry of basic data, and Enter additional data.

You have to perform the Initial entry of basic data action for every applicant. This is because it contains data (such as the name, address and organizational assignment of the applicant) that is required later for printing letters, and for statistical purposes. If optical archiving is used for the application documents, these can be assigned to the applicants as part of the Initial entry of data action.

Enter additional data is only carried out for applicants who are of further interest to the company. This action enables you to assign an applicant to one or more vacancies, as well as entering data on an applicant’s education, training, qualifications, and previous employer.

You call this action either from the entry screen of the Initial entry of basic data action directly, or from the List of applicants by action, which can be created using the report of the same name. However, you can also access the action from numerous other screens.

Features

The two-stage concept of fast data entry has the following advantages:

• Entry of applications in the system can be divided so that more than one person is responsible for it.

On receipt of the applications, one employee enters the mandatory data for all applicants. The applications are then distributed among the responsible administrators/personnel officers, who decide which applicants can be rejected immediately. They then enter additional data on applicants who are still of interest to the company.

• Large numbers of applications can be processed quickly.
• A minimum of time and work is wasted on entering data on applicants who are unsuitable for the company.

Activities

The procedure used to enter basic data is different for internal and external applicants.

If the applicant is an external applicant, all the required data must be entered manually. When dealing with internal applicants, however, you can import data such as name and address simply by specifying the candidate's personnel number. You can overwrite this data, if necessary.

SAP Identifying Multiple Applicants and Former Employees

Use

When initial entry takes place, each applicant is assigned an applicant number used to identify only him or her throughout the system. If other applications are recorded for the same applicant at a later date, these are recorded as new applications under the existing applicant number.

Features

When performing Initial entry of basic data, the following functions are available:

• When dealing with internal applicants, the system carries out a check for multiple applicants.

If it finds a multiple applicant on the database, the system accesses the applicant action New application. This action adds to the applicant’s existing history, that is, the application is recorded as a new application under the existing applicant number.

• When dealing with external applicants, the system can identify multiple applicants and former employees.

If the system identifies data records in the employee or applicant database that resemble those of the current applicant, these are listed on screen. The user must then check the list to establish whether they are indeed the same person. If so, the user can then select that candidate.

If the candidate is a multiple applicant, the system accesses the applicant action New application, and simultaneously imports any existing data.

If the applicant is identified as a former employee, the Initial entry of basic data action remains on screen, and the system imports any existing data for this person. You can overwrite this data, if necessary.

SAP Entering Basic Data on an Internal Applicant HR Recruitment Grouping of Applicant Data

1. Choose Applicant master data
® Initial data entry.

The Initial Entry of Basic Data screen appears.

2. You have the following options here:

Type of applicant	Enter data as required in the following fields:
Applicant who responded to specific advertisement	Applicant group Applicant range Personnel area Personnel subarea Personnel number Advertisement
Unsolicited applicant	Applicant group Applicant range Personnel area Personnel subarea Personnel number Unsolicited applicant group




In both cases, you must specify an applicant group assigned to applicant class P (internal applicants) in the Applicant group field.

3. Choose ENTER to confirm your entries.




If the candidate is a multiple applicant, the system accesses the applicant action New application and simultaneously imports any existing data.

The system fills the fields for the Personal Data and Addresses infotypes, together with the Personnel officer field.

4. If necessary, overwrite the default values.
5. Enter data in other fields as required.
6. To enter additional data for a specific infotype, select Further data.
7. Select Assign facsimiles to assign facsimiles to an applicant during initial data entry.
8. Save your entries.

– If you have not selected Further data or Assign facsimiles, the procedure is completed.

– If you have selected Further data and Assign facsimiles, or only Further data, the screen for the chosen infotype appears. Proceed to step 9.

– If you have only selected Assign facsimiles, the Document Type window appears. Proceed to step 11.

9. Enter data as required in the fields of the infotype displayed.
10. Save your entries.

– If you have selected Further data for more than one infotype, the screen for the next chosen infotype appears. If so, repeat steps 9 and 10 until all infotypes you selected have been processed.

– If you selected only Further data, the procedure is completed.

– If you selected only Assign facsimiles also, the Document Type screen appears. Proceed to step 11.

11. Select the document type you want, and choose Choose.

The Assign Facsimile screen appears.

12. Enter the date of origin of the facsimile and choose Continue.

The Confirm Assignment of Facsimile window appears.

13. Choose Confirm.

The Enter Barcode ID screen appears.

14. Enter a barcode for the facsimile.
15. Choose Continue.

The Assign Facsimiles screen appears.

16. Choose Yes to assign more facsimiles to the applicant, or No.

• If you do not want to assign any more facsimiles to the applicant, the procedure is completed.
• If you do want to assign further facsimiles to the applicant, the Document Type window appears again. Repeat steps 11 through 16 until all desired facsimiles have been assigned to the applicant.

Result

You have entered basic data on an applicant. You may have assigned one or more barcodes to the applicant. You can use these barcodes to record the application documents.

SAP Entering Basic Data on an External Applicant HR Recruitment Grouping of Applicant Data

1. Choose Applicant master data
® Initial data entry.

The Initial Entry of Basic Data screen appears.

2. Enter data as required in the following fields:

– Applicant group

– Applicant range

– Personnel area

– Personnel subarea

– Name

– First name

– Date of birth (if required)




In the Applicant group field, specify an applicant group belonging to applicant class AP (external applicants).

3. Choose ENTER to confirm your entries.

– If there is a former employee or applicant with the same name, proceed to step 4.

– If not, proceed to step 7.

4. To check your selection, select the desired entry, and choosing Edit
® Display person.

– If one of the former employees or applicants is the applicant in question, proceed to step 5.

– If not, choose Back. Then proceed to step 7.

5. Select the applicant identified, and choose Edit
® Person recognized.




If the candidate is a multiple applicant, the system accesses the applicant action New application and simultaneously imports any existing data.

The system fills in the fields for the Organizational Assignment, Personal Data, and Addresses infotypes.




The defaults for Organizational Assignment are taken from the candidate’s previous application.

6. If necessary, overwrite these default values.
7. Enter values in the other required fields, and any other fields you choose.
8. To enter additional data for a specific infotype, select Further data.
9. Select Assign facsimiles to assign facsimiles to an applicant during initial data entry.
10. Save your entries.

– If you have not selected Further data or Assign facsimiles, the procedure is completed.

– If you have selected Further data and Assign facsimiles, or only Further data, the screen for the chosen infotype appears. Proceed to step 11.

– If you have only selected Assign facsimiles, the Document Type window appears. Proceed to step 13.

11. Enter data as required in the fields of the infotype displayed.
12. Save your entries.

– If you have selected Further data for more than one infotype, the screen for the next chosen infotype appears. If so, repeat steps 11 and 12 until all infotypes you selected have been processed.

– If you selected only Further data, the procedure is completed.

– If you selected only Assign facsimiles also, the Document Type screen appears. Proceed to step 13.

13. Select the desired document type, and choose Choose.

The Assign Facsimile screen appears.

14. Enter the date of origin of the facsimile and choose Continue.

The Confirm Assignment of Facsimile window appears.

15. Choose Confirm.

The Enter Barcode ID screen appears.

16. Enter a barcode for the facsimile.
17. Choose Continue.

The Assign Facsimiles screen appears.

18. Choose Yes to assign more facsimiles to the applicant, or No.

• If you do not want to assign any more facsimiles to the applicant, the procedure is completed.
• If you do want to assign further facsimiles to the applicant, the Document Type window appears again. Repeat steps 13 through 18 until all desired facsimiles have been assigned to the applicant.

Result

You have entered basic data on an applicant. You may have assigned one or more barcodes to the applicant. You can use these barcodes to record the application documents

SAP Entering Basic Data on Several ApplicantsHR Recruitment Grouping of Applicant Data

If you enter basic data on several applicants in succession, the system retains your entries as default values in certain fields. You can set up the system so that these default values are not retained.

To set up the system so that these default values are not retained, choose Edit ® Clear fields.

SAP HR Repeating the Check for Multiple Applicants and Former Employees

Prerequisites

The automatic check for multiple applicants and former employees is carried out once for every last and first name entered. You can also trigger this check manually.

Procedure

1. Choose Applicant master data
® Initial data entry.

The Initial Entry of Basic Data screen appears.

2. Enter data in the required fields, and choose Edit
® Check ex-app./ex-ee.

Result

The check for multiple applicate

SAP Entering an Applicant’s Address Abroad HR Recruitment Grouping of Applicant Data

An applicant applies for a job with a company located in a country other than the one where he or she lives. To record the applicant's address abroad, select the Further data field in the Addresses infotype (0006) to access a country-specific entry screen. You can then enter the applicant’s address abroad on this screen.

Procedure

1. Choose Applicant master data
® Initial data entry.

The Initial Entry of Basic Data screen appears.

2. Make entries in the required fields for the infotypes Organizational Assignment, Personal Data, and Applications.
3. Select the Further data field for the Addresses infotype.
4. Save your entries.

The Create Addresses (Infotype 0006) screen appears.

5. Choose Address abroad.

The Choose Country Key screen appears.

6. Specify the desired country key, and choose Continue.

The system displays the desired country-specific data entry screen for the Addresses infotype.

7. Enter the applicant's address.
8. Save the address.

Result

You have entered the basic data on an external applicant with an address abroad.

Entering Additional Data on an Applicant HR Recruitment Grouping of Applicant Data

Choose Applicant master data

® Applicant actions.

The Applicant Actions screen appears.

Enter the applicant number and select Initial entry of basic data.

The Enter Additional Data screen appears.

Assign the desired vacancies to the applicant.

The Enter Additional Data Action HR Recruitment Grouping of Applicant Data

Prerequisites

You can access the Enter Additional Data action from a number of screens.

You call this action either from the entry screen of the Initial entry of basic data action directly, or from the List of applicants by action. This list can be created using the analysis report of the same name.

From the Initial Data Entry screen

On the Initial Entry of Basic Data screen, choose Applicant master data ® Save + add. data.

The Enter Additional Data screen appears.

From the List of Applicants by Action

1. Choose Applicant master data
® Bulk processing ® Receipt of application.

The Applicants by Actions screen appears.

2. In the Personnel officer field, enter your ID, if applicable.
3. Choose Program
® Execute.

The Applicants by Actions screen appears.

4. Select the desired applicant number in the list displayed, and choose Edit
® Additional data.

The Enter Additional Data screen appears.