Database and middleware saw 23 per cent growth for the fourth quarter and the year, coming in at $3.9bn and $11.6bn respectively. Middleware was boosted by the purchase of one-time rival BEA Systems, whose $1.4bn in annual revenues now belong to Oracle. Earnings per share will be of most interest to both Oracle's management and those watching Oracle. Chief executive Larry Ellison in 2006 committed his company to 20 per cent growth in earnings each year until the end of the decade. Wall Street rewarded Oracle in after-hours trading as its shares jumped 27 cents, or 1.2 per cent, to $22.50.®