Business Objects released an integration kit designed to help companies using Salesforce.com customer relationship management software better integrate and analyze their CRM data, the business intelligence software firm said Tuesday.

The two companies integrated Business Objects' BusinessObjects XI and Data Integrator with Salesforce.com's Appforce, an on-demand platform that the vendor provides as a hosted software service. The vendors plan joint sales and marketing activities to push their combined technology.

BusinessObjects XI will extend the reporting capabilities already provided by Salesforce.com so that customers of the CRM application can better mine both data in that system and from other sources such as ERP tools. Reports and ad hoc analysis of customer trends and sales channels will be more accessible than previously, Business Objects said.

Salesforce.com customers will also be able to design role-based dashboards that let them monitor key performance indicators (KPIs).

Appforce's components include Appforce Builder, Appforce DB, Appforce API and the Appforce OS for development and deployment of on-demand applications.