results include the following:

 

	• 	Revenue Recognition

	• 	Business Combinations

	• 	Goodwill and Intangible Assets—Impairment Assessments

	• 	Accounting for Income Taxes

	• 	Legal and Other Contingencies

	• 	Stock-Based Compensation

	• 	Allowances for Doubtful Accounts

 

In many cases, the accounting treatment of a particular transaction is specifically dictated by GAAP and does not require management’s judgment in its application. There are also areas in which management’s judgment in selecting among available alternatives would not produce a materially different result. Our senior management has reviewed the below critical accounting policies and related disclosures with the Finance and Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

We derive revenues from the following sources: (1) software, which includes new software license and software license updates and product support revenues, and (2) services, which include consulting, On Demand and education revenues.

 

New software license revenues represent fees earned from granting customers licenses to use our database, middleware and applications software, and exclude revenues derived from software license updates, which are included in software license updates and product support. While the basis for software license revenue recognition is substantially governed by the provisions of Statement of Position (SOP) No. 97-2, Software Revenue Recognition , issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, we exercise judgment and use estimates in connection with the determination of the amount of software and services revenues to be recognized in each accounting period.

 

For software license arrangements that do not require significant modification or customization of the underlying software, we recognize new software license revenue when: (1) we enter into a legally binding arrangement with a customer for the license of software; (2) we deliver the products; (3) customer payment is deemed fixed or determinable and free of contingencies or significant uncertainties; and (4) collection is probable. Substantially all of our new software license revenues are recognized in this manner.

 

The vast majority of our software license arrangements include software license updates and product support, which are recognized ratably over the term of the arrangement, typically one year. Software license updates provide customers with rights to unspecified software product upgrades, maintenance releases and patches released during the term of the support period. Product support includes internet access to technical content, as well as internet and telephone access to technical support personnel located in our global support centers. Software license updates and product support are generally priced as a percentage of the net new software license fees. Substantially all of our customers purchase both software license updates and product support when they acquire new software licenses. In addition, substantially all of our customers renew their software license updates and product support contracts annually.

 

Many of our software arrangements include