Briefs

SAS' BI tools revenue grew 16.6 percent in 2007; BI tools enter mass market

CARY, N.C. (July 1, 2008) - SAS, a leader in business intelligence and analytics, again outpaced the BI tools market with 16.6 percent growth in BI tools revenue in 2007. This percentage represents the highest market share growth rate of the top five BI vendors, according to the recently issued report titled Worldwide Business Intelligence Tools 2007 Vendor Shares: Query, Reporting, and Analysis, and Advanced Analytics Markets Stable in the Face of Economic Turmoil, (IDC #212921, June 2008). For the 11th consecutive year, SAS holds the No. 1 worldwide market share position among all advanced analytics software vendors.

SAS' sales of advanced analytics software, totaling US$439.8 million in 2007, led the market with 31.9 percent share--more than twice that of the nearest competitor--and showed 15.2 percent growth over the previous year. SAS' analytics offerings include descriptive and predictive analytics as well as optimization solutions. In the past year, the advanced analytics segment of the BI tools market grew faster than the query, reporting and analysis segment - a testament to the realized value of analytics in business intelligence for critical competitive advantage.

Recent growth reflects an increasing need for software that provides faster access to broader information. "BI tools are finally entering a mass market," said Dan Vesset, Program Vice President for Business Analytics Research at IDC and co-author of IDC's report. "It's a prelude to the next market cycle that will lead to pervasive business intelligence."

For more information, visit www.sas.com.