Operational Data Stores Don't Count

Frequently people don't understand why an ODS is not a data warehouse. Since many ODS projects are referred to as data warehousing initiatives, people often mistakenly assume that an ODS is therefore a data warehouse. That assumption is false as an ODS is merely a stepping-stone to a true data warehouse. An ODS is simply a means to an end, and not the end itself. Let's see where the ODS fits into the data warehousing equation.

Companies generally have numerous legacy application systems that were developed with varying technologies over a long period of time. For example, an insurance company may have different policy and commission applications across its different business units (e.g., life, health, property, ...

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