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Executive Summary (This is a document excerpt)

SAP NetWeaver 2004 is an integration and application platform. The product provides comprehensive business intelligence (BI) application development tools and capabilities targeted at operational BI apps embedded within composite application processes, with an embedded data warehouse (SAP BW), analytic reporting tool (BEx), and enterprise reporting (Crystal Reports via OEM). A strong international presence and solid metadata management mechanism are balanced against basic support for usability, report development, and dashboard capabilities. Unlike most BI products, SAP NetWeaver 2004 offers a broad range of BI and non-BI application server capabilities that often creates confusion with buyers about what to license and how to implement NetWeaver as a BI solution. Overall, SAP is a strong performer in both enterprise and analytic reporting with a greater emphasis on enterprise reporting.