The Open Data Initiative (ODI) is a collaborative effort between Microsoft, Adobe, and SAP to create a unified data model for customer data. The initiative aims to provide customers with a complete view of their customer data across different systems and platforms, by using a common data schema.

The ODI data model is built on the Microsoft Common Data Model, which is an open-source data schema that defines a standard set of entities, attributes, and relationships for common business scenarios. The ODI extends this model with industry-specific entities and attributes to create a comprehensive data model for customer data.

The ODI enables customers to easily integrate data from different sources, such as CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and other enterprise applications, into a single view of their customer data. This can help organizations to gain a deeper understanding of their customers, improve customer engagement and satisfaction, and make more informed business decisions.

The ODI is part of a broader trend towards open data and interoperability in the enterprise software industry. By providing a common data model, the ODI aims to make it easier for organizations to share and use data across different systems and platforms, and to promote greater collaboration and innovation in the development of enterprise applications.