The Open Data Protocol (OData) facilitates the creation of REST-based data services.
These services enable resources to be identified using Uniform Resource Identifiers
(URIs) and defined within a data model. Web clients can then publish and modify these
resources using simple HTTP messages.
This specification defines a set of recommended rules for constructing URIs to identify
the data and metadata exposed by an OData server, as well as a set of reserved URI
query string operators. If an OData server accepts these operators, it must implement
them as required by this document.
OData differs from REST and focuses on its feature set, particularly in the realm
of business logic. While REST primarily concerns data transfer via web service APIs,
OData extends its capabilities.
At the core of the OData protocol lies the concept of an Entity Data Model (EDM), often abbreviated as EDM. In the context of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), these entity schemas and their relationships are fundamental components.