SAP Announces Support for WS-I Basic Profile 1.0

SAP NetWeaver™ to Align with the WS-I Basic Profile 1.0, Enabling Greater Industry Adoption of Web Services for Enterprise Customers

WALLDORF, Germany - August 13, 2003 - SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced its support for the first release of the WS-I Basic Profile 1.0 (BP 1.0), a set of implementation guidelines for companies to utilize a set of core Web services specifications to develop interoperable Web services. The Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I) brings the work of multiple standards organizations (such as W3C and OASIS) together for the purpose of providing clarity and guidance around Web services interoperability. As a founding WS-I Board member, SAP actively participated in the development of the BP 1.0 and will support the new guidelines throughout their implementation and industry adoption.

The SAP NetWeaver™ technology platform, which drives lower cost of ownership across heterogeneous IT landscapes, corresponds to the BP 1.0 and allows SAP customers to develop, deploy and integrate enterprise applications in alignment with the new implementation guidelines. Through SAP’s support of the BP 1.0, customers can operate directly with the new implementation guidelines, rather than dealing with the individual Web services specifications, such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), WSDL (Web Services Description Language) and UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration). SAP’s support for the BP 1.0 will allow companies to easily implement and continue using Web services while leveraging their existing technology investments, saving considerable time and expense.

WS-I is an open industry organization committed to promoting Web services interoperability across platforms, applications and programming languages. The organization unites a diverse community of Web services companies, including SAP, to provide guidance, recommended practices and supporting resources for developing interoperable Web services. WS-I BP 1.0 has the potential to become the industry’s common denominator for developing and deploying interoperable Web services based on industry-wide standards like XML, SOAP and WSDL.

“As a founding WS-I member, SAP AG is pleased to welcome the release of the WS-I Basic Profile 1.0,” said Sinisa Zimek, director of technology strategy and standards, SAP. “WS-I participants like SAP have taken a great step in developing and promoting interoperability between applications. The BP 1.0 is significant for SAP customers who want to pursue business beyond what traditional integration strategies can provide.”

About SAP
SAP is the world's leading provider of business software solutions. Through mySAP™ Business Suite, people in businesses around the globe are improving relationships with customers and partners, streamlining operations and achieving significant efficiencies throughout their supply chains. The unique core processes of various industries, from aerospace to utilities, are supported effectively by SAP’s 23 industry solution portfolios. Today, more than 20,000 companies in over 120 countries run more than 64,500 installations of SAP® software. With subsidiaries in over 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol “SAP.” (Additional information at http://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 Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2002 filed with the SEC on March 21, 2003. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

Copyright © 2003 SAP AG. All rights reserved.
SAP, 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. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP 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:
Andrew Kisslo, +1 (650) 849-4259, andrew.kisslo@sap.com, PDT
SAP Press Office, +1 (610) 661-3200, press@sap.com, EDT
Jody Andersen, Burson-Marsteller, +1 (415) 591-4101, jody_andersen@sfo.bm.com, PDT