ODS

Abbreviation with 3 meanings

ODS
Stands forOzone-depleting substance
Meanings3
CategoriesScience & Engineering, Technology & Computing

ODS has three meanings. The most common are Ozone-depleting substance (environmental) and OpenDocument Spreadsheet (file format); it can also stand for Operational data store.

Meanings of ODS at a glance

#ODS stands forContext
1Ozone-depleting substanceScience & Engineering › Environmental
2OpenDocument SpreadsheetTechnology & Computing › File Format
3Operational data storeTechnology & Computing › Data & Database

1. Ozone-depleting substance

Science & Engineering · Environmental Abbreviations

Chemical that destroys stratospheric ozone when it breaks down, releasing chlorine or bromine. ODSs include CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, HCFCs and methyl bromide, all controlled under the Montreal Protocol.

Example: Technicians must recover any ODS refrigerant before scrapping old equipment.

Adopted in 1987, the Montreal Protocol became the first UN treaty ratified by every country, in 2009, and has cut ODS production by about 99%. A 2023 UN assessment projected that the ozone layer will return to 1980 values around 2040 for most of the world, 2045 over the Arctic and 2066 over Antarctica. Many ODSs are also potent greenhouse gases.

2. OpenDocument Spreadsheet

Technology & Computing · File Format Abbreviations

Spreadsheet file in the OpenDocument Format, used by LibreOffice Calc and supported by Excel and Google Sheets. It stores sheets, formulas, charts and formatting as compressed XML.

Example: Download the budget as ODS or XLSX; both open in LibreOffice Calc.

ODS is the open counterpart of XLSX. Formula functions are standardized in the OpenFormula specification, part of ODF 1.2, which improves consistency between programs. Spreadsheets with advanced Excel features such as Power Query or VBA macros do not translate fully to ODS.

3. Operational data store

Technology & Computing · Data & Database Abbreviations

A database that integrates current, frequently updated data from several operational systems for near-real-time reporting and lookups, without the long history of a warehouse. It often serves as a staging layer that feeds the warehouse.

Example: Call-center agents check the ODS for a customer's latest orders from all three sales systems.

Described by Bill Inmon in the 1990s as a complement to the data warehouse. An ODS holds detailed current data, while a warehouse keeps history for trend analysis. Change data capture streams have replaced many batch-loaded designs.

More environmental abbreviations

  • NDC – Nationally determined contribution
  • NEPA – National Environmental Policy Act
  • NOx – Nitrogen oxides
  • NPDES – National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
  • PM10 – Particulate matter 10 micrometers or smaller
  • PM2.5 – Particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or smaller
  • RCP – Representative Concentration Pathway
  • RCRA – Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

See all 62 environmental abbreviations →

More file format abbreviations

  • NEF – Nikon Electronic Format
  • OBJ – Wavefront object file
  • ODF – OpenDocument Format
  • ODP – OpenDocument Presentation
  • ODT – OpenDocument Text
  • OGG – Ogg (container format)
  • OTF – OpenType Font
  • PDF – Portable Document Format

See all 125 file format abbreviations →