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MicroStrategy Partners With Ardent Software in MetaConnect Cooperative

Partnership Will Result in Tighter Metadata Integration Throughout the Data Warehouse Lifecycle

VIENNA, VA, December 8, 1998 — MicroStrategy® Incorporated (NASDAQ: MSTR), a leading worldwide provider of mission-critical decision support systems, today announced that it has joined the Ardent Software MetaConnect Cooperative, a meta data integration program designed to allow data warehouse tools to share meta data directly, across the enterprise. Through this cooperative, Ardent Software (NASDAQ: ARDT) is developing MetaBrokers—direct interfaces with leading software tools—for release early in the first quarter of 1999.

The Ardent MetaConnect Cooperative will allow joint customers to seamlessly manage their meta data lifecycle. By more tightly integrating MicroStrategy’s products with the rest of the data warehouse environment, the MetaConnect Cooperative will enhance the value and effectiveness of the data warehouse. For example, joint customers will not need to develop their own bridge code, enabling companies to more rapidly and easily develop powerful data warehousing applications.

Ardent Software is also a member of MicroStrategy’s Extraction-Transformation-Loading (ETL) Program, which is designed to provide DSS users with a seamless view of enterprise meta data via MicroStrategy’s DSS Agent™ interface. The Program provides a simple method for checking data accuracy to ensure that decision support users do not analyze outdated data or data that has undergone the wrong transformations.

"As a leading decision support vendor, MicroStrategy has illustrated its commitment to tightly integrate meta data," said Pete Fiore, vice president and general manager of Ardent Software’s Data Warehouse business unit. "Ardent is pleased to be working with MicroStrategy on this initiative to further overcome the issues posed by disconnected meta data environments."

About the MetaConnect Cooperative

At the core of the MetaConnect program is an advanced technology that enables the decomposition and recomposition of meta data components into simple units of meaning. By breaking down and recombining data at this level, each tool is able to communicate the complex semantics of its own meta data. The MetaConnect Cooperative is an integral component of Ardent Software’s overall strategy for solving meta data management issues.

About Ardent Software

Ardent Software is a data management company with a range of software products, including database systems and data warehouse development tools. Its products include the O2 System®, a high-performance object database management system; DataStage®, a data warehouse development tool; and UniVerse® and UniData®, extended relational database management systems for packaged business applications. With worldwide sales and service operations, as well as 1,000 resellers in more than 50 countries, Ardent is one of the top software companies in the world. More than 50,000 customers and over 2,000,000 users in virtually every aspect of business and government use Ardent’s products to overcome their most complex data management problems. Additional information is available on Ardent’s web site at www.ardentsoftware.com.

About MicroStrategy Incorporated

MicroStrategy is a leading worldwide provider of enterprise decision support system (“DSS”) software and related services. MicroStrategy’s product line (“DSS Suite”) enables both active and passive delivery of information from large-scale databases, providing Global 2000 enterprise user communities with timely answers to mission-critical questions.

MicroStrategy’s decision support platform enables users to query and analyze the most detailed, transaction-level databases, turning data into business intelligence. In addition to supporting internal enterprise users, MicroStrategy’s products extend DSS beyond corporate boundaries to customers, partners and supply chain constituencies through a broad range of pull and push technology such as the Internet, e-mail, telephones, pagers and other wireless communications devices. MicroStrategy also offers a comprehensive set of consulting, training and support services for its customers and partners.

For more information, please visit MicroStrategy’s Web site: www.strategy.com.

This press release includes statements that may constitute “forward-looking” statements, usually containing the words believe”, “estimate”, “project”, “expect” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include continued acceptance of the Company's products in the marketplace, the timing of significant orders, delays in the Company's ability to develop or ship new products, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, general economic conditions, currency fluctuations, and other risks detailed in the Company's registration statements and periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.

MicroStrategy, DSS Agent, DSS Suite are either trademarks or registered trademarks of MicroStrategy Incorporated in the United States and certain other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.