1 Introduction

  • Article

The Entity Data Model Data Portability Overview document provides an overview of data portability for the Entity Data Model (EDM), an entity-relationship model that is used to define an application's data model. The data model is represented by using entities and the relationships (that is, associations) between those entities.

Three specifications are pertinent to EDM:

  • [MC-CSDL]: Conceptual Schema Definition File Format. Conceptual Schema Definition Language (CSDL) is a specification language that is used for defining the neutral conceptual mode, which is independent of the storage model used for persisting application data. Because the conceptual model is neutral and independent, application implementers can build a conceptual model in a way that is independent of persistence concerns.

  • [MS-SSDL]: Store Schema Definition File Format. Store Schema Definition Language (SSDL) is a specification language that is used to formally describe the database schema used for persisting the data of an application built on top of EDM.

    The SSDL definition is similar to a CSDL definition; the primary difference between them is that the data types used in SSDL declarations are the actual types supported by a particular database product engine.

  • [MS-MSL]: Mapping Specification File Format. Mapping Specification Language (MSL) is a specification language that is used to connect the types that are declared in CSDL to store the schema definition that is declared in SSDL.