Newest Version of Datastream 7i Strengthens the Position of Datastream as the Leader in Asset Performance Management

Enhanced Web-Based Calibration, Auditing, Reporting, and GIS Functionality Delivers Major Benefits for Vertical Markets

Greenville, S.C. - Sept. 15, 2004 – Datastream Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: DSTM) today announced the release of its newest version of Datastream 7i™, the industry’s leading Asset Performance Management solution. With this version and its enhanced Web-based capabilities, Datastream strengthens its ability to deliver focused solutions to markets including the public sector, regulated industries and general manufacturing environments.

The enhancements to this release of Datastream 7i include product functionality that enables customers to deploy easy-to-use and easy-to-configure zero-footprint html interfaces that match the roles of end-users. Through Datastream’s proven Web architecture and associated Web services, users from the shop floor to the executive suite can access Datastream 7i to leverage business intelligence and streamline their operations and asset management processes.

Key enhancements in Datastream 7i include:

• Broader Key Performance Indicator (KPI) and Alerting Capabilities, to enable customers to instantly access the exact information they need to make business decisions, when they need it. This feature substantially shortens the amount of time required to identify and resolve asset performance issues, thus significantly reducing the impact on operations.
  
• Stronger Regulatory Compliance Features, including the addition of the entire Calibration Module to Datastream 7i Extended and the ability to apply auditing rules to custom fields and comments. This facilitates compliance and reduces the risk of costly violations for customers in regulated industries, such as pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and nuclear power.
  
• Geographic Information System (GIS) integration, including geo-coded address searches to quickly find assets via a specific street intersection.  This integration also includes the ability to map out locations of multiple assets for more effective planning and scheduling.
  
• Inspections Capability, to enable customers to set up and execute inspections through Datastream 7i Extended, providing users with a Web-based interface to add defined columns in order to support more complex inspections.
  
• Purchasing & Materials Management, with new support for blanket purchase orders including monetary and status change security controls.  Features also include the services procurement ability to book hours and the percent of contracted-work complete and document accomplishments for billing and invoicing purposes.
  

The enhanced Web-based interface also includes new Work Module capabilities that enable employee qualification specification, warranty processing enhancements, Microsoft Project 2003 integration and support for the Vehicle Maintenance Record System (VMRS) standard, which provides the pre-populated codes essential for fleet management applications.

“ARC has identified real-time performance management as an essential business strategy for enterprises today,” said Houghton Leroy, research director, ARC Advisory Group. “With its advanced Asset Performance Management capabilities, Datastream 7i can deliver the visibility and extensibility enterprises require to optimize the performance of their assets on a global scale, while also uniformly enforcing compliance procedures.”

“Large enterprises in regulated industries–such as pharmaceutical and government–want to extend their enterprise applications to new platforms and users while also maintaining strict compliance control over work processes,” said Datastream President and CEO Larry Blackwell.  “Datastream 7i delivers on both fronts. Its Web services foundation enables customers to extend the application through role-based interfaces and provides fully integrated support for regulations such as 21 CFR 11 in pharmaceutical, GASB in government, and VMRS in transportation.”

About Datastream Systems, Inc.
Datastream Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: DSTM) provides Asset Performance Management software and services to enterprises worldwide, including more than 65 percent of the Fortune 500. Datastream’s solutions combine world-class asset management functionality with advanced analytics to deliver a powerful platform for optimizing enterprise asset performance.

By using Datastream’s solutions, customers can maintain and manage capital assets – such as manufacturing equipment, vehicle fleets and buildings – and create analyses and forecasts so they can take action to improve future performance. Datastream’s flagship product, Datastream 7i™, delivers a complete Asset Performance Management infrastructure by combining an Internet, Web services architecture with broad enterprise asset management functionality, integrated procurement, advanced analytics and multi-site capability.

Datastream was founded in 1986 and has customers in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit http://www.datastream.net/.

Datastream and Datastream 7i are marks of Datastream Systems, Inc. (“Datastream” or the “Company”). All other products or Company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. 

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to:  increasing competition in the markets in which the Company competes; the stability of certain of the Company's strategic relationships, including those with suppliers of maintenance, repair and operations parts; the ability of the Company to: sell larger and more complex software solutions, successfully transition to the development of further Internet-based products, successfully implement an application service provider business model, enhance its current products and develop new products that address technological and market developments; and other risk factors listed from time to time in Datastream’s SEC reports, including, but not limited to the "Risk Factors" contained in the Datastream’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003.  Datastream does not have, and expressly disclaims, any obligation to release publicly any updates or any changes in the Company's expectations or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any forward-looking statement is based.