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CCH Boosts Performance Of ProSystem fx Practice™ With ADVANTAGE™ Client/server Technology From Extended Systems

(TORRANCE, CA., May 7, 2002) – CCH Tax Compliance today announced the availability of ProSystem fx Practice 5.1. This latest version of CCH’s leading practice management software harnesses the power of client/server database technology using the robust Advantage Database Server from Extended Systems, a leading provider of mobile data management, wireless connectivity and client/server software, as the new database platform. Using the new technology, ProSystem fx Practice 5.1 enables multiple timekeepers and billers to simultaneously access and update data. In addition to the new database technology, ProSystem fx Practice 5.1 delivers new time management features designed to further increase a firm’s efficiency and productivity.

"The driving focus of our latest release is to provide our customers with the latest database technology," said Kevin Robert, president and CEO of CCH Tax Compliance. "Based on rigorous testing we’ve conducted with a cross-section of accounting firms, ProSystem fx Practice 5.1 has passed every test with flying colors, with customers benefiting from superior performance, enhanced stability, increased reporting speed and increased flexibility."

Among those firms testing the new version was Hayashi & Wayland Technology Group, Salinas, Calif. According to Brent Negrete, "I’ve had nothing but very positive feedback…and that’s with more concurrent users than we have ever been able to accommodate."

Over the next several months, CCH plans to roll out ProSystem fx Practice 5.1 to several thousand accounting firms.

The Advantage Database Server software acts as a client/server relational database management systems solution for ProSystem fx Practice 5.1, replacing file-server technology used in previous versions. This new technology allows multiple timekeepers and billers within a firm to access and update ProSystem fx Practice’s databases simultaneously, helping to improve productivity and ensure that all users have access to up-to-the-minute information.

ProSystem fx Practice 5.1’s client/server technology also delivers enhanced database stability. For example, an event such as a power failure at a workstation does not compromise the integrity of the data on the server. The client/server functionality also guards against partial updates when transaction processing is interrupted, reducing and often eliminating recovery steps. Scheduled rebuilding or re-indexing of the database is no longer required with the new ProSystem fx Practice.

Using the latest database technology, ProSystem fx Practice 5.1 requires less bandwidth, as smaller pieces of data are transmitted between the workstation and the server. The result is increased performance from all software applications running on a customer’s network.

The Advantage Database technology also helps ensure that ProSystem fx Practice 5.1 delivers a highly economical and scalable solution for firms of all sizes, with the software supporting most current network architectures, including Novell, Windows NT and Windows 2000.

In addition to the new database technology, ProSystem fx Practice 5.1 includes several time management enhancements.

An entirely new web-based Global Time Entry module has been added to help firms significantly streamline the process of posting and processing time and expense data from remote staff members.

Using the latest secure ASP Internet technology, employees working in the field can conveniently access Global Time Entry (GTE) from any computer with Internet access. This new feature also provides administrators with the ability to import transaction data with the click of a mouse or to schedule it to run automatically at daily or weekly intervals.

Enhancements have also been made to the software’s Time Entry module. Time Entry now includes a Day Planner interface, providing staff with the familiar daily calendar format to set and track appointments and then quickly convert these to time transactions. A To Do List has also been added, providing staff a quick view of all assignments, including Project and Task Information, as well as appointments.

Customers can also select to leverage a new optional Remote Time Entry module. This allows the integrated Time Entry module to be used in a "disconnected mode" when away from the office, before easily transmitting time back to the main program.

ProSystem fx Practice 5.1 is fully integrated with ProSystem fx Tax, the industry’s premier tax compliance system, used by more than 20,000 firms nationwide. Through this integration, ProSystem fx Office users are able to share client data, streamlining workflow and helping achieve a higher level of efficiency.

In addition to ProSystem fx Practice and ProSystem fx Tax, The ProSystem fx Office provides a comprehensive suite of integrated software products for accountants, including solutions for trial balance, tax planning, office productivity and fixed assets.

For More Information

For more information on ProSystem fx Practice 5.1 or other ProSystem fx Office solutions, visit www.prosystemfx.com or call 1-800-PFX-9998.

About CCH INCORPORATED

CCH INCORPORATED (cch.com), headquartered in Riverwoods, Ill., was founded in 1913 and has served nearly five generations of business professionals and their clients. The company provides information services and technology solutions for the tax, legal, securities, insurance, human resources, health care and small business markets. CCH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer North America. The CCH tax and accounting destination site can be accessed at tax.cchgroup.com.

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