{"id":42696,"date":"2021-12-14T12:42:26","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T12:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bornrealist.com\/?p=42696"},"modified":"2021-12-14T12:42:26","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T12:42:26","slug":"using-an-operational-data-store-for-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bornrealist.com\/using-an-operational-data-store-for-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Using an Operational Data Store for Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"
Databases have been growing in size for some time. It is essential for business owners to use an operational data store (ODS) if they want to market effectively and drive long-term business growth. An ODS offers them the speed, scalability, low latency, and agility they need to stay ahead of the competition.<\/p>\n
What is an ODS and how has it evolved?<\/strong><\/p>\n An operational data store extracts information from different sources and integrates it in a central database. It can even integrate data from geographically distant sources. It is unique from a data warehouse in that the data is volatile and updated frequently.<\/p>\n The ODS is used as a decision-support system for a business based on specific subject areas, such as Customers, Products, Orders, and Shipments.<\/p>\n The extract\/transform\/load process (ETL) is used to move data into the ODS from\u00a0external data sources because it comes from various sources and may be in different formats. ETL extracts the data and transforms source data into a format compliant with the design of the ODS before loading it. From there, it integrates real-time data into BI tools, dashboards and reports.<\/p>\n Operational data stores have been around for some time and they traditionally only stored data for a short window and were usually updated at the end of the day. They have evolved significantly since then. Businesses that want to use an\u00a0operational data store for digital transformation<\/a>\u00a0need to look at a next-generation ODS because traditional ones have various limitations.<\/p>\n A traditional ODS does not have real-time API services that support new digital requirements. The refresh rate of a traditional ODS may support day-end reporting but digital applications require real-time data. Limited scalability is another difficulty as multiple users may access the ODS simultaneously and this can affect performance.<\/p>\n Why do businesses need an ODS?<\/strong><\/p>\n An ODS integrates data from various systems of record, so reports and analytics are more comprehensive than those based on individual data sources. With more comprehensive reporting and analytics, businesses can make more tactical marketing decisions.<\/p>\n As the access to the various systems of record is usually restricted for security reasons, having an ODS means that more people in the business have access to reporting.<\/p>\n An ODS helps a business to work through time-sensitive business rules to automate processes which can significantly improve efficiency.<\/p>\n