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OLE DB is a set of Microsoft data access interfaces that provides universal data integration over an enterprise's network regardless of the data type. OLE DB is designed for nonrelational as well as relational information sources on disparate platforms. These include electronic mail and file system stores, text data, graphical data, and custom business objects.

OLE DB allows data sources to share their data through common interfaces without having to implement database functionality that is not native to the data store. OLE DB is a freely published specification designed with industry-wide participation. It is part of Microsoft's UDA (Universal Data Access) strategy, which consists of three core technologies: OLE DB, ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), and Open Database Connectivity (ODBC).