Which statement about operational databases is most accurate?

• A. They are designed to store data only for reporting and analytics.
• B. Most new data are captured in them.
• C. They are used only for archiving historical data.
• D. They store data in a way that prevents updates.

Answer: (B)

Operational databases are built to support day-to-day transactions and capture data as events occur. They are designed for online transaction processing (OLTP), prioritizing fast inserts, updates, and deletes, and maintaining data accuracy and consistency in real time across many concurrent users. Because they handle the live activity of the business, most new data originate there—every transaction creates or modifies records such as orders, customer details, inventory changes, and similar operational data. This is why they’re the primary source of fresh information for reporting or analytics—but their main purpose is to support ongoing operations, not to serve as a repository for analytics or archival storage. They are not designed to prevent updates; they rely on frequent data changes to reflect the current state of the business.