<PAGE>
 
  As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 12, 1998

                                                  REGISTRATION NO. 333-
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D. C. 20549

                              ------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                          REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                              ------------------

                          DATAWARE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

           DELAWARE                                             06-1232140
      (State or other                                        (I.R.S. Employer
jurisdiction of incorporation)                              Identification No.) 


                 ONE CANAL PARK, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02141
                    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)

                              ------------------

                       1993 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                                  KURT MUELLER
                          Principal Executive Officer
                          Dataware Technologies, Inc.
                                 One Canal Park
                         Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141
                                 (617) 621-0820
           (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

                                with copies to:

                               MATTHEW C. DALLETT
                               Palmer & Dodge LLP
                               One Beacon Street
                          Boston, Massachusetts 02108
                                 (617) 573-0303

                                 -----------------

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title of each class of securities to     Amount to be          Proposed          Proposed maximum       Amount of
          be registered                  registered       maximum offering     aggregate offering   registration fee
                                                           price per share(1)         price(1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                    <C>                 <C>                  <C>                  <C> 
Common Stock, $0.01 par value          600,000 shares(2)        $3.03              $1,818,000             $536.31
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
(1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the registration fee and
     computed pursuant to Rule 457(h) and based upon the average of the high and
     low sale prices on June 8, 1998 as reported by the Nasdaq National
     Market System.
(2)  This Registration Statement registers an additional 600,000 shares
     under the 1993 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, under which 250,000 shares
     have previously been registered (SEC File No. 33-70496).

                                  Page 1 of 9
                        Exhibit Index Appears at Page 5
<PAGE>
 
                                    PART II
               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


Statement Regarding Incorporation by Reference of Information from Effective
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Registration Statement
----------------------

This Registration Statement registers additional securities of the same class as
other securities for which a registration statement filed on Form S-8 relating
to the 1993 Employee Stock Purchase Plan is already effective.  Pursuant to
General Instruction E of this Form, the Registrant incorporates by reference
into this Registration Statement the contents of the Registrant's Registration
Statement on Form S-8 (Registration No. 33-70496) as filed with the Commission
on October 19 1993, including exhibits thereto.


ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.

         See Exhibit Index on page 5.
<PAGE>
 
                                   SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Cambridge, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on this
12th day of June, 1998.


                                    DATAWARE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.



                                    By:  /s/ Kurt Mueller
                                       ------------------------------
                                       Kurt Mueller
                                       President and
                                       Chief Executive Officer


                               POWER OF ATTORNEY


     We, the undersigned officers and directors of Dataware Technologies, Inc.
hereby severally constitute and appoint Kurt Mueller, Jeffrey O. Nyweide, and
Matthew C. Dallett, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys-in-
fact, with full power to them in any and all capacities, to sign any and all
amendments to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (including any post-
effective amendments thereto), and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and
other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-
fact may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated:

       SIGNATURE                   TITLE                       DATE
       ---------                   -----                       ----

/s/ Kurt Mueller           Director and Principal        June 12, 1998
------------------------   Executive Officer 
Kurt Mueller               


/s/ Michael Gonnerman      Principal Financial and       April 13, 1998
------------------------   Accounting Officer (acting) 
Michael Gonnerman          


/s/ Jeffrey O. Nyweide     Director                      April 13, 1998
------------------------
Jeffrey O. Nyweide


/s/ Stephen H. Beach       Director                      April 13, 1998
------------------------
Stephen H. Beach

<PAGE>
 
       SIGNATURE                   TITLE                   DATE
       ---------                   -----                   ----

                                Director
------------------------
Julie M. Donahue


/s/ William R. Lonergan         Director                 April 13, 1998
------------------------
William R. Lonergan


/s/ Jochen Tschunke             Director                 June 12, 1998
------------------------
Jochen Tschunke

<PAGE>
 
                                 EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------
<TABLE> 
<CAPTION> 

EXHIBIT
NUMBER                        DESCRIPTION
------                        -----------
<S>      <C> 
5        Opinion of Palmer & Dodge as to the legality of the securities
         registered.
23.1     Consent of Coopers & Lybrand, independent certified public
         accountants.
23.2     Consent of Palmer & Dodge (contained in Opinion of Palmer &
         Dodge filed as Exhibit 5).
24       Power of Attorney (set forth on the Signature Page to this
         Registration Statement).

</TABLE>
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 7921}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "DATAWARE TECHNOLOGIES INC", "cik": "0000875942", "assigned-sic": "7372", "irs-number": "061232140", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-56691", "film-number": "98647128"}, "business-address": {"street1": "ONE CANAL PARK", "street2": "SUITE 3300", "city": "CAMBRIDGE", "state": "MA", "zip": "02142", "phone": "6176210820"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "222 THIRD STREET", "street2": "SUITE 3300", "city": "CAMBRIDGE", "state": "MA", "zip": "02142"}}
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 12, 1998

                                                  REGISTRATION NO. 333-
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, D. C. 20549

                              ------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                          REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                              ------------------

                          DATAWARE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

           DELAWARE                                             06-1232140
      (State or other                                        (I.R.S. Employer
jurisdiction of incorporation)                              Identification No.) 

                 ONE CANAL PARK, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02141
                    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)

                              ------------------

                       1993 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                                  KURT MUELLER
                          Principal Executive Officer
                          Dataware Technologies, Inc.
                                 One Canal Park
                         Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141
                                 (617) 621-0820
           (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

                                with copies to:

                               MATTHEW C. DALLETT
                               Palmer & Dodge LLP
                               One Beacon Street
                          Boston, Massachusetts 02108
                                 (617) 573-0303

                                 -----------------

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title of each class of securities to     Amount to be          Proposed          Proposed maximum       Amount of
          be registered                  registered       maximum offering     aggregate offering   registration fee
                                                           price per share(1)         price(1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock, $0.01 par value          600,000 shares(2)        $3.03              $1,818,000             $536.31
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the registration fee and
     computed pursuant to Rule 457(h) and based upon the average of the high and
     low sale prices on June 8, 1998 as reported by the Nasdaq National
     Market System.
(2)  This Registration Statement registers an additional 600,000 shares
     under the 1993 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, under which 250,000 shares
     have previously been registered (SEC File No. 33-70496).

                                  Page 1 of 9
                        Exhibit Index Appears at Page 5
PART II
               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Statement Regarding Incorporation by Reference of Information from Effective
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Registration Statement
----------------------

This Registration Statement registers additional securities of the same class as
other securities for which a registration statement filed on Form S-8 relating
to the 1993 Employee Stock Purchase Plan is already effective.  Pursuant to
General Instruction E of this Form, the Registrant incorporates by reference
into this Registration Statement the contents of the Registrant's Registration
Statement on Form S-8 (Registration No. 33-70496) as filed with the Commission
on October 19 1993, including exhibits thereto.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.

         See Exhibit Index on page 5.
SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Cambridge, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on this
12th day of June, 1998.

                                    DATAWARE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

                                    By:  /s/ Kurt Mueller
                                       ------------------------------
                                       Kurt Mueller
                                       President and
                                       Chief Executive Officer

                               POWER OF ATTORNEY

     We, the undersigned officers and directors of Dataware Technologies, Inc.
hereby severally constitute and appoint Kurt Mueller, Jeffrey O. Nyweide, and
Matthew C. Dallett, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys-in-
fact, with full power to them in any and all capacities, to sign any and all
amendments to this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (including any post-
effective amendments thereto), and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and
other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-
fact may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated:

       SIGNATURE                   TITLE                       DATE
       ---------                   -----                       ----

/s/ Kurt Mueller           Director and Principal        June 12, 1998
------------------------   Executive Officer 
Kurt Mueller               

/s/ Michael Gonnerman      Principal Financial and       April 13, 1998
------------------------   Accounting Officer (acting) 
Michael Gonnerman          

/s/ Jeffrey O. Nyweide     Director                      April 13, 1998
------------------------
Jeffrey O. Nyweide

/s/ Stephen H. Beach       Director                      April 13, 1998
------------------------
Stephen H. Beach
SIGNATURE                   TITLE                   DATE
       ---------                   -----                   ----

                                Director
------------------------
Julie M. Donahue

/s/ William R. Lonergan         Director                 April 13, 1998
------------------------
William R. Lonergan

/s/ Jochen Tschunke             Director                 June 12, 1998
------------------------
Jochen Tschunke
EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------
EXHIBIT
NUMBER                        DESCRIPTION
------                        -----------
5        Opinion of Palmer & Dodge as to the legality of the securities
         registered.
23.1     Consent of Coopers & Lybrand, independent certified public
         accountants.
23.2     Consent of Palmer & Dodge (contained in Opinion of Palmer &
         Dodge filed as Exhibit 5).
24       Power of Attorney (set forth on the Signature Page to this
         Registration Statement).