ASAM ODS Standard

openMDM uses a data storage system that complies with ASAM-ODS.

ASAM (Association for Standardisation of Automation and Measuring Systems) is an organisation which was set up by German car manufacturers to standardise data models and interfaces for simulation, measurement and evaluation systems.

ASAM itself describes ODS as “that part of the ASAM standard which is concerned with the storage and retrieval of information” (quoted from “Introduction: ASAM-ODS”, ASAM, http://www.asam.net)

The ODS standard deals with the four aspects of data modelling, interfaces, physical storage and data exchange:

Data modelling
The basic model is the ODS metamodel which allows modelling diagrams to be described completely semantically. Building on the basic model, application models (object-oriented data diagrams) are defined individually.

Interfaces
The interfaces offer the possibility of a uniform, generic access to all data and metadata.

Physical storage
Physical storage is not specified by ASAM-ODS. Generally, a relational database is used in conjunction with mass storage. ASAM ODS provides a data model for this.

Data exchange
Using the “ASAM Transport Format (ATF)”, complete objects (data and metadata) can be exchanged between different systems.


Since the interface for data access is standardised in combination with the complete semantic description of the stored data, applications which ASAM ODS supports can read and understand all information from the ODS storage facility. No import/export filters or converters are needed.

This means that new applications can be incorporated simply and cost-effectively. Above all, companies not having a dominant market position now have a fair chance of placing their products in existing tool chains.

Here you can find more information about ASAM and the ODS standard:
ASAM Website
Download of ASAM ODS