Operating cash flow - or cash flow from operating activities - refers to the amount of cash a company generates from the revenues it brings in, excluding costs associated with long-term capital investment. It is similar to operating profit but excluding non-cash items and accruals.
Operating cash differs from free cash flow by excluding the effect of investment activities but it does include payments for taxes or interest as well as changes in working capital (unlike EBITDA. It does not take into account any cash raised by borrowing or issuing shares (cash flow from financing). In the long-run, a business must be able to make money from its operations.