MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES ACCOUNTING ANALYSIS PACK FOR MICROSOFT EXCEL 95

Gives Small Businesses the Tools to Be More Competitive With Larger
Companies

REDMOND, WASH. - FEB. 6, 1996 - At the SoftEx accounting software show in
Los Angeles this week, Microsoft Corp. will announce the upcoming
availability of the MicrosoftR Accounting Analysis Pack for Microsoft
Excel, a new software package that gives small businesses access to
financial modeling tools once used only by large corporations. The
Accounting Analysis Pack is designed to help small businesses use the
powerful analysis capabilities of a spreadsheet - Microsoft Excel - to
understand how to be more profitable and make more sound financial
decisions.

The Accounting Analysis Pack links the most popular business accounting
programs to Microsoft Excel for the WindowsR 95 operating system. It
provides a set of easy-to-use tools that enable users to import data from
accounting programs into Microsoft Excel, to create standard and
customized reports, and to perform "what if" analyses easily - even if the
user has never used a spreadsheet before or has little formal financial
training. With the Accounting Analysis Pack, small-business owners can
view their financial information from a number of perspectives, then
manipulate financial variables to see the potential effects on their
bottom line. For example, small- business owners might want to find out
how increasing the production of a particular product line would affect
their revenue or whether it is more profitable to lease, buy or finance
the purchase of an asset.

"Small-business owners often attribute business failure to a lack of
working capital," said Richard Fade, vice president of the desktop
applications division at Microsoft. "But financial professionals tell us
it's not the lack of capital but more often a lack of information about
their financial situation that leads to the failure of a small business.
The Accounting Analysis Pack goes beyond providing access to accounting
data; it also helps small- business owners gain a better understanding of
what's behind the numbers."

HELPS SMALL BUSINESSES FIND ANSWERS

In interviews with hundreds of small-business owners and CPAs, Microsoft
learned that effective financial management is the key to success.
Entrepreneurs expressed a specific need for more sophisticated tools to
analyze their businesses; however, the greatest challenge for many of
these users is acquiring the skills and resources necessary to use these
tools. The Accounting Analysis Pack addresses these needs with an easily
navigated "dashboard" of financial information so users see a streamlined
view of the information they need to make decisions. It also includes a
set of wizards, or software "guides," to help users through their
analysis.

THE IMPORT WIZARD transfers financial data from a user's accounting program
into Microsoft Excel, instead of requiring users to manually re-enter
their accounting data into a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet provides users
with the means to manipulate and analyze the data, safely removed from the
risk of altering the original data in their accounting software.

THE REPORT WIZARD creates seven types of flexible, customizable financial
reports and analysis tables, providing insight into financial performance.
Types of reports include the following:

   Standard financial reports such as income statements, balance
   sheets and cash-flow reports that allow the user to "drill
   down" to understand the specific line items that make
   up each report

   A financial ratio report that provides a quick check on business
   health

   A sales-analysis PivotTable dynamic view that allows users
   to see their revenue in different ways, such as by sales
   representative, sales region or product

THE WHAT-IF WIZARD creates a structured environment based on users' actual
accounting data and helps users ask pertinent questions about their
businesses. Through the use of these simulation modules, users can
manipulate financial variables, analyze their businesses and plan for the
future. For example, users can examine whether changing their pricing mix
would help them be more profitable, or whether maintaining more or less
inventory of a certain product would decrease their costs.

The ability to compete successfully against companies of all sizes is a
necessity in today's business environment. By providing users with simple
and meaningful ways to understand how to be more profitable, the Microsoft
Accounting Analysis Pack helps small-business owners make more informed
business decisions based on real financial data.

"In my practice I work with a lot of small businesses, and one thing many
of them have in common is that they're not just competing against the
store across town any more, they're competing with the big national chains
who have access to powerful financial-management tools," said Robert
McCullar, certified public accountant and financial consultant with
Coates, McCullar and Biggers. "With the Accounting Analysis Pack and
Microsoft Excel, my small-business clients can benefit from the same
financial-analysis tools used by Fortune 500 companies. There are numerous
accounting software packages available to our clients for reporting
historical transactions," McCullar continued. "The Accounting Analysis
Pack takes reporting a major step beyond merely reporting historical
results; it helps to make sense of what has happened in our clients'
businesses, and it provides invaluable information in planning financial
strategies for the future."

IMPORTS DATA FROM TOP ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS

Developed in collaboration with Timeline Inc. of Bellevue, Wash., the
Accounting Analysis Pack will link Microsoft Excel for Windows 95 with
these leading accounting packages:

 BusinessWorks for DOS and Windows, version 9.0
 Computer Associates Simply Accounting for Windows, version 3.0a
 Computer Associates ACCPAC Plus for DOS, version 6.1
 DacEasy Accounting for DOS, version 5.x
 Great Plains Accounting for DOS, version 8.0
 Intuit Quickbooks version 3.x
 MAS 90 Evolution/2 version 1.5
 One-Write-Plus Accounting with Payroll for DOS, version 4.03
 Peachtree for Windows, version 3.0
 Peachtree Complete Accounting for DOS, version 8.0
 Platinum Series for DOS and Windows, version 4.1
 Timeline MetaView version 2.3

AVAILABILITY, PRICING AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The Accounting Analysis Pack is scheduled to be available in April at
resellers nationwide for approximately $99.95. The following components
are required to run the Microsoft Accounting Analysis Pack:

 Personal computer with a 386DX or higher processor (486 recommended)

 The Microsoft Windows 95 operating system or Microsoft Windows NT
 Workstation operating system version 3.51 or later (will
 not run on earlier versions of Windows)

 Microsoft Excel for Windows 95 or Microsoft Office for Windows
 95, Standard or Professional (will not run on earlier versions
 of Microsoft Excel or Office)

 8MB of memory for use on Windows 95; 14 MB of memory for use on
 Windows NT Workstation (includes requirements for Microsoft Excel)

 10 MB of available hard-disk space (includes requirements for
 Microsoft Excel)

 3.5-inch high-density disk drive

 VGA or higher-resolution monitor (Super VGA, 256-color monitor
 recommended)

 Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

 Accounting system supported by the Microsoft Accounting Analysis
 Pack for Microsoft Excel

The following components are optional:

 Windows-compatible network
 Windows-compatible printer
 2400 or higher-baud modem (9600 baud modem recommended)
 Audio board with headphones or speakers

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of
products and services for business and personal use, each designed with
the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take
advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
 
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