Sequent Extends High-End Data Warehouse Offering; Demonstrates Enterprise
Warehouse Solution With New Scalable Data Interconnect (SDI)

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - APRIL 12, 1996 - Sequent Computer Systems,
Inc., today announced a collaborative effort with Oracle Corp. designed to
bring scalability to the very high end of the decision support and data
warehouse markets. This effort, based on a strong, ten-year working
relationship between the two companies, has resulted in a new scalable
data interconnect (SDI) for enterprise-class, terabyte-size systems.

Referred to as the Sequent Enterprise Warehouse initiative, this effort
builds on the "best practices" from successful DSS projects implemented at
over 100 demanding customer environments worldwide. The long list of
companies turning to Sequent for high-end DSS solutions includes widely
recognized names such as Edgars Stores Limited, Preferred Direct Insurance
(PDI), Reuters, Trustee Savings Bank (TSB), and Unocal.

Sequent's SDI is a low-latency, high throughput interconnect for clustered
Symmetry Systems. With SDI, Oracle has implemented the Internode Parallel
Query Option (IPQ) previously only available with massively parallel
computer architectures. Sequent's SDI is the first implementation to
provide these requirements within a clustered SMP environment.

Sequent's new SDI high-speed data pump enables customers to create and
analyze extremely large data warehouses that are accessed by hundreds to
thousands of users running intensive applications, such as data mining
programs. SDI, optimized for the Oracle7 Parallel Everything database,
provides out-of-box scalability on up 120 Intel Pentium processors.

"Oracle and Sequent have been working together for more than a decade to
provide the most powerful and flexible open systems solutions for business
critical environments," said Richard French, vice president of Oracle's
Intel UNIX Products Division. "The next generation of data warehouse user
requirements will need multi-terabyte databases supporting hundreds to
thousands of users. Oracle's database and application products running on
Sequent's Symmetry systems have already set the standard in reliability,
availability and sheer performance at the high end. Sequent will continue
to set the standard for these high-end users with innovations, such as
SDI, and through its expertise in the next generation of NUMA-Q
technologies. With the ability to provide Oracle's Internode Parallel
Query Option on these technologies and proven customer success with large
Data Warehouses, Sequent is poised to be an impressive force for
enterprise-class DSS systems".

Sequent's Enterprise Warehouse initiative focuses on a holistic view of the
data warehouse solution/project and brings together solutions from Sequent
and its partners. These partners provide all the software components of a
successful data warehouse from data extraction through data analysis and
leading edge knowledge discovery tools.

Sequent's comprehensive, business-centric methodology is continually
evolving, yet well tested, and has resulted in Sequent's reputation for
being able to successfully architect complex DSS solutions. DSS is
currently the fastest growing segment of Sequent's business.

Sequent will demonstrate its proven Enterprise Warehouse solutions at the
European Oracle User Group conference which begins here April 14.
Attendees will see several examples of the Oracle7 Parallel Everything
database running on Sequent's powerful, clustered Symmetry systems.

Sequent is one of several companies participating in Oracle's Test-to-Scale
Program, a program designed to test and certify data warehouses exceeding
a terabyte. Sequent expects to finalize participation and certification in
this program later this year.

Sequent's SDI has been designed for the demanding high-end business
environment with affordability and manageabilty features not traditionally
found in the standard MPP solutions.

"Sequent's SDI solution will enable sophisticated users to scale enterprise
decision support and data warehouse applications into the multi-terabyte
realm," said Gary Smaby, president of Smaby Group, a leading IT industry
research and advisory firm based in Minneapolis. "While this performance
range exceeds the requirements of most mainstream users today, we believe
there is a tier of leading edge customers in financial services,
manufacturing, and retail that can and will, in this decade, design
applications to take advantage of this unprecedented level of
performance."

"Turning data into meaningful, applied information has become a strategic
business imperative for many organizations," noted Alan Cox, Sequent's DSS
business group manager. "The challenge our customers face can be simply
stated - they are looking for the best ways to mine strategic information
from the mountains of data they have - quickly, efficiently and reliably.
Sequent offers the capability today with the growth path to satisfy the
escalating needs of our customers well into the 21st century."

According to Drew Kennedy, group IS manager for Edgars Stores Limited, a
major retailer in South Africa, "We realized that the best way to address
our current and future business needs was to form a partnership with a
computer vendor who would provide us with an open, best-of-breed business
solution supported by sound technology. We found the answer in Sequent."

In addition to SDI, Sequent is introducing an enhanced High Availability
package for its customers. This offering features Sequent's new Model 20
processor board that has the industry's first error detecting and
correcting (EDC) circuitry guarding the processor's data cache, along with
the Intel 166 MHz Pentium processor. Sequent's enhanced High Availability
program is designed to provide mission critical environments the highest
levels of availability (99.95%) with well coordinated professional service
offerings to ensure business success.

Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNT), is a leading architect and
provider of open client/server solutions for enterprise business
computing. With an installed base of nearly 8,000 systems, Sequent leads
all other vendors of high end UNIX systems supporting very large-scale
on-line transaction processing (OLTP), decision support (DSS) and
internet-based applications. Sequent's project-oriented offerings include
consulting, educational and professional services geared to help
organizations re-architect their existing information technology
infrastructures.

Sequent's World Wide Web address is http://www.sequent.com. This news
release and other information is available from Sequent's news-on-demand
fax service at 800-356-0834.
 
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