SAP AG and Microsoft Corp. today announced they are jointly developing and planning to offer a new product, code-named "Mendocino," that will help companies gain a competitive advantage by revolutionizing the way information workers access, analyze and use enterprise data to make better business decisions. "Mendocino" will link SAP process functionality directly to Microsoft® Office applications. Users of this product, the first to be developed jointly between SAP and Microsoft, will enjoy the familiarity of Microsoft Office as they access SAP's best-practice business processes and information. The announcement was made at SAPPHIRE® '05, SAP's international customer conference being held in Copenhagen, Denmark, April 26--28.

With "Mendocino," SAP and Microsoft aim to drive enhanced efficiency for information workers who rely on Microsoft Office as their primary work environment. "Mendocino" will tie together Microsoft Office and SAP enterprise software, giving customers greater visibility and use of business information from their desktop. "Mendocino" will help people avoid wasted time and effort searching for critical corporate information, diminish costly duplication of efforts, and limit the need for specific training on disparate systems. "Mendocino" also stands to maximize the value that customers derive from their existing investments in Microsoft Office and mySAP (TM) Enterprise Resource Planning (mySAP ERP).