A data mart is a specialized, smaller-scale data repository within a data warehouse environment, tailored to meet the analytical and reporting needs of a specific business unit, such as sales, finance, or marketing. It focuses on a particular subject area or department, providing a more targeted and efficient way to access relevant data. Data marts are often used to improve query performance and simplify data access for end-users by concentrating on specific datasets and metrics. They can be created from data warehouses through data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes or directly from operational systems. By focusing on specific business needs, data marts help streamline reporting and decision-making processes.