BusinessObjects

BusinessObjects was a French-founded enterprise software company focused on business intelligence, reporting, analytics, data integration, performance management, planning, and enterprise information management. Founded in 1990 by Bernard Liautaud and Denis Payre, with the original concept and early implementation attributed to Jean-Michel Cambot, the company developed tools intended to make corporate data accessible to business users rather than only to database specialists. Its first customer was Coface, signed in the company’s founding year. The company’s technology centered on a semantic layer known as a universe. A universe mapped the complexity of an underlying data store into business-oriented terms that could be used by reporting and query tools. This approach supported governed self-service analysis and helped establish BusinessObjects as a significant supplier of enterprise reporting and business-intelligence software. Its product family eventually covered ad hoc query and analysis, reporting, dashboards, planning, performance management, data quality, data integration, and centralized content distribution. BusinessObjects expanded through both product development and acquisitions. It entered the online analytical processing market in the 1990s, introduced WebIntelligence as a browser-based or thin-client information-access product, and later broadened its platform through acquisitions including Next Action Technologies, OLAP@Work, Blue Edge Software, Acta Technologies, Crystal Decisions, SRC Software, Infommersion, Medience, Firstlogic, Nsite Software, ALG Software, Cartesis, and Inxight. The 2003 purchase of Crystal Decisions was especially important because it added the Crystal Reports product family and strengthened the company’s position in enterprise reporting. BusinessObjects subsequently marketed an integrated portfolio that combined BusinessObjects and Crystal technologies. The company became a public enterprise during the 1990s. It listed on NASDAQ in September 1994, described in contemporary company history as the first European or French software company to list in the United States, and later listed in France. It developed an international customer base and stated in its final earnings release before the SAP transaction that it had more than 46,000 customers. Its services business also provided consulting and education intended to help organizations deploy business-intelligence programs. BusinessObjects’ flagship platform in its final independent period was BusinessObjects XI, also known as BOXI. The suite combined reporting, query and analysis, performance management, planning, and enterprise information-management capabilities. Other products supported centrally managed universes and report repositories, enabling organizations to distribute selected information to defined user communities. On 7 October 2007, SAP announced an agreement to acquire BusinessObjects for approximately $6.8 billion. SAP completed operational control and integration in January 2008. Bernard Liautaud, who had led the company as chief executive and later chairman, resigned after the acquisition. BusinessObjects ceased to operate as an independent company and became part of SAP; SAP subsequently used the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio brand for the acquired technologies. The historical BusinessObjects corporation is therefore defunct as a standalone entity, while many of its products and technologies continued within SAP’s analytics and business-intelligence portfolio.

BusinessObjects originated in 1990 with Bernard Liautaud and Denis Payre. Jean-Michel Cambot is credited with the concept and initial implementation that informed the company’s first software. Coface became its first customer in the same year. The company’s early products addressed the difficulty of allowing nontechnical users to query and analyze information held in corporate databases. During the 1990s, BusinessObjects developed a semantic-layer approach based on business-oriented definitions called universes. This layer separated business users from the technical structure of physical data stores and became a defining part of the company’s reporting and query architecture. BusinessObjects launched version 3.0 in 1994 and went public on NASDAQ in September of that year. It later entered the French public market. In 1996, the company expanded into OLAP, and in 1997 introduced WebIntelligence, a thin-client product intended to make shared information available through an extranet or browser-oriented environment. The company pursued an acquisition-led expansion strategy around the turn of the century. It acquired Next Action Technologies in 1999, OLAP@Work in 2000, Blue Edge Software in 2001, and Acta Technologies in 2002. The Acta transaction brought data-integration capabilities that later formed part of Data Integrator. BusinessObjects also developed commercial relationships with major technology and enterprise customers, including an OEM and reseller arrangement with SAP for Crystal Reports and a large software-licensing transaction with Three, formerly Hutchison 3G. In 2003, BusinessObjects acquired Crystal Decisions for approximately $820 million. The transaction added Crystal Reports and related enterprise-reporting capabilities, creating a broader product portfolio. The combined business promoted the integration of BusinessObjects and Crystal technologies and released products including BusinessObjects Enterprise 6, Dashboard Manager, BusinessObjects Performance Manager, Crystal version 10, and BusinessObjects version 6.5. BusinessObjects XI, launched in 2005, became the company’s flagship integrated business-intelligence suite; its later XI Release 2 combined reporting, query, analysis, performance, and information-management functions. Further acquisitions in 2005 and 2006 included SRC Software, Infommersion, Medience, Firstlogic, Nsite Software, and ALG Software, formerly known as Armstrong Laing Group. The company also launched Crystal Xcelsius, which converted spreadsheet-based information into interactive Flash presentations. In 2007, BusinessObjects acquired Cartesis and Inxight, continuing its expansion into financial-consolidation, information-management, and related analytics capabilities. BusinessObjects faced litigation concerning technology inherited from Acta. Informatica alleged that the ActaWorks product, later sold as part of Data Integrator, infringed patents related to data transformations in data warehousing. A 2007 judgment awarded Informatica $25 million, after which BusinessObjects issued a Data Integrator release that removed the disputed capability. SAP announced its agreement to acquire BusinessObjects on 7 October 2007 for approximately $6.8 billion. The acquisition reflected increasing consolidation in enterprise software, alongside Oracle’s acquisition of Hyperion and IBM’s acquisition of Cognos. By January 2008, BusinessObjects was fully operated within SAP. Liautaud resigned after the acquisition, and the former independent company ultimately became an SAP division. SAP continued many of the acquired technologies under the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio brand.

1. 2008Standalone company absorbed by SAP

   SAP assumed full operational control and integrated BusinessObjects into its organization. The portfolio continued under the SAP BusinessObjects name.

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2. 2007SAP announces acquisition

   SAP announced an agreement to acquire BusinessObjects for approximately $6.8 billion.

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3. 2006Crystal Xcelsius launched

   The company launched Crystal Xcelsius, a tool for turning spreadsheet data into interactive Flash-based presentations.

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4. 2005BusinessObjects XI launched

   BusinessObjects launched BusinessObjects XI, its flagship enterprise business-intelligence platform, followed by XI Release 2.

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5. 2003Crystal Decisions acquired

   The approximately $820 million acquisition of Crystal Decisions strengthened BusinessObjects’ enterprise-reporting portfolio and brought Crystal Reports into the company’s product family.

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6. 2002Acta Technologies acquired

   BusinessObjects acquired Acta Technologies, adding data-integration technology that later became associated with Data Integrator.

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7. 1997WebIntelligence introduced

   BusinessObjects introduced WebIntelligence, a thin-client information-access product designed to support shared information use across an extranet.

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8. 1996Entry into OLAP

   The company entered the online analytical processing market and released BusinessObjects version 4.0.

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9. 1994NASDAQ public listing

   BusinessObjects launched version 3.0 and listed on NASDAQ in September, becoming the first European or French software company described in its history as having achieved a United States listing.

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10. 1990Company founded and first customer signed

    Bernard Liautaud and Denis Payre founded BusinessObjects, and Coface became the company’s first customer. The initial software concept and implementation were associated with Jean-Michel Cambot.

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BusinessObjects positioned itself as an enterprise business-intelligence provider that connected operational data stores with business users through governed reporting, query, analytics, dashboards, planning, and performance-management tools. Its universe semantic layer and centralized report distribution were core differentiators, while the acquisition of Crystal Decisions broadened its reporting reach.

• BusinessObjects XIBusiness intelligence platform2005

  BusinessObjects XI, also known as BOXI, was the company’s flagship enterprise business-intelligence suite. It brought together reporting, query and analysis, performance management, planning, and enterprise information-management capabilities. The platform supported centrally governed content, reusable semantic definitions, and distribution of reports and information to selected groups of users.

• WebIntelligenceWeb-based business intelligence1997

  WebIntelligence was a thin-client product designed to provide browser-oriented access to shared corporate information. It extended BusinessObjects beyond desktop analysis and supported wider distribution of queries, reports, and business information across organizational or extranet environments.

• Crystal ReportsEnterprise reporting

  Crystal Reports was the established reporting product associated with Crystal Decisions, acquired by BusinessObjects in 2003. It enabled organizations to design and distribute formatted operational and management reports and became a central component of the combined BusinessObjects and Crystal software portfolio.

• BusinessObjects EnterpriseEnterprise information delivery

  BusinessObjects Enterprise provided a managed environment for publishing, securing, organizing, and distributing reports and analytical content. It supported centralized repositories and selective access for user communities, helping enterprises administer business-intelligence content at scale.

• Data IntegratorData integration

  Data Integrator was BusinessObjects’ data-integration offering, incorporating technology obtained through the acquisition of Acta Technologies. It supported movement and transformation of data for warehousing and business-intelligence projects. A later release removed functionality involved in Informatica’s patent litigation.

• Crystal XcelsiusInteractive dashboards and visualization2006

  Crystal Xcelsius enabled users to transform Microsoft Excel spreadsheet data into interactive presentations using Flash-based media. It was positioned as a way to make spreadsheet-driven analysis more visual and engaging for dashboards, presentations, and business communication.

• BusinessObjects UniverseSemantic layer and metadata

  A universe was BusinessObjects’ term for a semantic layer between a physical data store and front-end reporting or query tools. It translated technical database structures into business terms, allowing users to work with governed definitions and relationships without directly navigating the underlying schema.

• 2004Our Future is Clear, Crystal Clear

  International

  Following the integration of the BusinessObjects and Crystal Decisions businesses, the company promoted the combined portfolio with the slogan “Our Future is Clear, Crystal Clear.” The campaign emphasized the strategic and product relationship between BusinessObjects business intelligence and Crystal reporting technologies.

  Outcome. Supported the positioning of the combined BusinessObjects and Crystal product portfolio.

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• 2007Agree to SAP acquisitionM&A

  Business software was entering a period of consolidation, with major vendors acquiring established business-intelligence companies and platforms.

  What changed. SAP announced an agreement on 7 October 2007 to acquire BusinessObjects for approximately $6.8 billion.

  Aftermath. BusinessObjects was fully operated within SAP by January 2008. The independent corporation was absorbed, while its technologies continued under the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio.

  Acquisition value. $6.8 billion (2007)

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• 2007Respond to Informatica patent judgmentOther

  A patent dispute concerning data-transformation functionality inherited through Acta Technologies resulted in an award against BusinessObjects.

  What changed. BusinessObjects released Data Integrator version 11.7.2 with the infringing product capability removed.

  Aftermath. The product was modified to address the capability identified in the litigation, while Informatica received the reported damages award.

  Damages awarded. $25 million (2007)

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• 2005Launch BusinessObjects XIProduct launch

  The company was consolidating reporting, analytics, performance management, and information-management capabilities into a broader enterprise platform.

  What changed. BusinessObjects launched BusinessObjects XI and later released XI Release 2.

  Aftermath. BusinessObjects XI became the company’s flagship integrated business-intelligence suite before the SAP acquisition.

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• 2003Acquire Crystal DecisionsM&A

  BusinessObjects sought to expand its enterprise-reporting and business-intelligence offering through the purchase of Crystal Decisions.

  What changed. BusinessObjects acquired Crystal Decisions for approximately $820 million and combined the Crystal reporting products with its own platform.

  Aftermath. The transaction strengthened the company’s reporting position and led to a combined BusinessObjects and Crystal portfolio, including Crystal Reports and later Crystal-branded products.

  Acquisition value. $820 million (2003)

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• 2007Informatica patent-infringement litigationControversy

  Informatica pursued a lawsuit involving ActaWorks, a product inherited through BusinessObjects’ acquisition of Acta Technologies and later associated with Data Integrator. The case concerned patents covering data transformations in data warehousing. A judgment awarded Informatica $25 million in damages, and BusinessObjects subsequently issued a product version that removed the disputed capability.

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• 2008BusinessObjects is integrated into SAP

  By January 2008, BusinessObjects was being operated within SAP. The standalone company was subsequently treated as an SAP division and its portfolio was marketed under the SAP BusinessObjects name.

  M&ALeadership change
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• 2007SAP announces agreement to acquire BusinessObjects

  SAP announced a transaction valued at approximately $6.8 billion to acquire BusinessObjects, amid broader consolidation in the business-software market.

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1. BusinessObjects