1.1 Glossary

This document uses the following terms:

association: A named independent relationship between two entity type definitions. Associations in the Entity Data Model (EDM) are first-class concepts and are always bidirectional. Indeed, the first-class nature of associations helps distinguish the EDM from the relational model. Every association includes exactly two association ends.

conceptual schema definition language (CSDL): A language that is based on XML and that can be used to define conceptual models that are based on the Entity Data Model (EDM).

entity: An instance of an EntityType element that has a unique identity and an independent existence. An entity is an operational unit of consistency.

Entity Data Model (EDM): A set of concepts that describes the structure of data, regardless of its stored form.

mapping specification language (MSL): An XML-based language that can be used to define mapping between a conceptual schema and a store schema.

schema: A container that defines a namespace that describes the scope of EDM types. All EDM types are contained within some namespace.

store schema definition language (SSDL): An XML-based language that can be used to define storage models by using the Entity Data Model (EDM).