Description: An Operational Data Store (ODS) is an integrated database of operational data. Its sources include legacy systems and it contains current or near term data. An ODS may contain 30 to 60 days of information, while a data warehouse typically contains years of data. An operational data store is basically a database that is used for being an interim area for a data warehouse. As such, its primary purpose is for handling data which are progressively in use such as transactions, inventory and collecting data from Point of Sales. It works with a data warehouse but unlike a data warehouse, an operational data store does not contain static data. Instead, an operational data store contains data which are constantly updated through the course of the business operations.
