ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 1997

WorkPlace System Solutions, Inc., today announced the availability of ActiveAsset Manager(tm) 1.0, a robust engineering information and document management module for integrating engineering with corporate operations systems, such as facilities management, procurement, maintenance, and enterprise backbones such as SAP(R). ActiveAsset Manager is a key module in WorkPlace's overall solution to help companies create an Integrated Workplace - an environment where facilities, document, engineering, and other corporate asset data is available across the enterprise, throughout the lifecycle of a facility.

ActiveAsset Manager manages a range of engineering information, including computer-aided design (CAD) files and associated meta-data. ActiveAsset Manager supports over 100 file types and is integrated with MicroStation(R), AutoCAD(R), and Open Document Management API (ODMA) compliant applications such as Microsoft(R) Word, Excel, and PowerPoint(R). Files can be grouped in sets, simplifying project management by associating drawings with related documents.

"Companies have been creating documents and files with computer-aided design systems for more than 25 years," says George Church, president of WorkPlace. "As a result, the engineering department holds valuable information about the company's operational assets, such as facilities and equipment. Traditionally, much of this asset information has not been accessible to the people who are responsible for management and operations of these assets."

"ActiveAsset Manager is a revolution in document management, because it provides access to valuable asset information contained in the engineering database to a company and its partners - while offering structure and security for managing all types of files and documents," continues Church.

With ActiveAsset Manager, access to files is extremely flexible, and privileges can be set for each stage of a defined workflow. The user interface displays current available project data accessible by the user. When a project or folder is highlighted, ActiveAsset Manager displays the file's contents. Specifying name, version, user-defined attributes, or the project with which it is associated can retrieve a drawing. For file security, ActiveAsset Manager provides controlled access that can be restricted by user, project, or by document. A document's history is tracked and captured, to retain when the document was created, checked out, the date of use, reason for change, and comments. Users cannot bypass the system to access files directly.

Recognizable icons help the user immediately understand the status of a document. A pencil icon indicates the document is available for read and write. A padlock indicates the document is checked out by another user, but is still available in a read-only mode; a red check mark shows the user has checked out the document; and an open book indicates the document is available in a read-only manner.

From a workflow perspective, ActiveAsset Manager oversees the creation, editing, and review of engineering designs and documents, as well as generating, managing, and tracking multiple versions. An optional feature lets users define specific workflows by assigning workflow names and stages. Flexible configuration tools define users, groups of users, default settings, storage areas for project data, applications in use, and departments. Document sets can be defined, for example, as a collection of documents for a particular project. A hierarchy feature lets the user define document sets whereby users receive the master document as well as associated reference file attachments.

Based on Bentley's Engineering Back Office(tm) technology, ActiveAsset Manager leverages a three-tier system architecture that encompasses a range of desktop clients, application servers, and the corporate data warehouse. A document control interface provides a set of query fields to define SQL (Structured Query Language) search criteria. Based on the criteria, ActiveAsset Manager queries the database and displays the occurrences in the list box. ActiveAsset Manager currently supports a direct connection to Oracle databases and supports other databases, including Microsoft SQL Server and Informix via Open Database Connectivity (OBDC).

ActiveAsset Manager operates with other modules in the WorkPlace solution, including ActiveAsset Planner(tm) which allows users to visualize and graphically edit data in the corporate database.

About WorkPlace, a Strategic Affiliate of Bentley and Primavera

The people of WorkPlace are seasoned professionals with experience in developing and implementing solutions for Engineering Document Management (EDM), facilities design and management (CAFM), and Product Data Management (PDM), and other intensive engineering environments. With its ActiveAsset solutions and range of consulting services, WorkPlace offers a revolutionary approach to integrating the workplace and ensuring optimal life for corporate assets. WorkPlace is a Strategic Affiliate of Bentley Systems, Incorporated, and Primavera Systems, Inc. A broad spectrum of clients are turning to WorkPlace, including airports, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, and process and power plant owner/operators. Headquartered near Boston, Massachusetts, WorkPlace is a worldwide company with European offices in The Netherlands, Finland, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

WorkPlace Systems can be reached

by telephone at 978-952-2559

by FAX at 978-952-0181

by e-mail at workplace@workplacesystems.com

on the World Wide Web at www.workplacesystems.com

About Bentley and Bentley Strategic Affiliates

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, is a worldwide leader in engineering software and user services. Its products are proven at over 70 percent of the largest U.S. engineering firms and are the software foundation of well-known buildings, roadways, machines, and industrial plants around the world. Bentley Strategic Affiliates provide project services and the world's best and most interoperable engineering applications to Bentley users. Bentley's Strategic Affiliate program involves an intense technical and business collaboration with, as well as a corporate investment in, a select number of focused, luminary developers. More information about Bentley and Bentley Strategic Affiliates is available at http://www.bentley.com. -0-

ActiveAsset, ActiveAsset Manager, ActiveAsset Planner, and the WorkPlace logo are trademarks of WorkPlace System Solutions, Inc. MicroStation is a registered trademark, and Bentley, Engineering Back Office, and ModelServer are trademarks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Primavera is a registered trademark of Primavera Systems, Inc. SAP is a registered trademark of SAP AG. Microsoft and PowerPoint are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Kayla Fisher, 603/428-3013

kayla.fisher@workplacesystems.com