The Open Data protocol (OData) lets you access a data source, such as a database, by browsing to a specially constructed URL. This allows for a simplified approach for connecting to and working with data sources that are hosted within an organization. OData is a protocol that uses HTTP, Atom, and JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) to enable developers to write applications that communicate with an ever-growing number of data sources. Microsoft supports the creation of this standard as a way to enable the exchange of data between applications and data stores that can be accessed from the web.