☛ An operational data store (“ODS”) is a database designed to integrate data from multiple sources for additional operations on the data. Unlike a master data store, the data is not sent back to operational systems. It may be passed for further operations and to the data warehouse for reporting.

☛ In ODS, data can be scrubbed, resolved for redundancy and checked for compliance with the corresponding business rules. This data store can be used for integrating disparate data from multiple sources so that business operations, analysis and reporting can be carried while business operations occur. This is the place where most of the data used in current operation is housed before it’s transferred to the data warehouse for longer term storage or archiving.

☛ An ODS is designed for relatively simple queries on small amounts of data (such as finding the status of a customer order), rather than the complex queries on large amounts of data typical of the data warehouse.

☛ An ODS is similar to your short term memory where it only stores very recent information. On the contrary, the data warehouse is more like long term memory storing relatively permanent information.