An operational data store typically pulls data from multiple transactional systems for operational reporting and business reporting. They combine various real-time data sources together in their original format in a central location.
ODS tools contain up-to-date versions of business data integrated from data sources, which is useful for BI tasks such as managing logistics, tracking orders and monitoring customer activity. ODSes are also useful for troubleshooting integration issues with data when they occur. They can compare recent versions of data to copies on other systems to determine if there is a continuity error.
ODSes also lend themselves to easy systems integration. Administrators can program rules into an ODS that synchronize data across multiple systems. When it changes on one system, it can trigger a change on another system.
ODSes can also facilitate a real-time data stream from data sources into the data pipeline.
For a real-world example, an ODS could pull batches of data from a billing application at weekly intervals, ingest transaction data in real time and integrate them into a relational database.
An ODS usually focuses on the operational requirements of a specific business process like customer service, for example. ODSes allow updates and propagate those updates back to the operational system that the data originated from.
