Read before write
Use services or the console for changes. Direct writes bypass validation and audit.
Resources · data
The relational model, in groups
The database holds the commerce record. The groups below are a reading map, not a substitute for the physical schema in a live installation.
Table groups
Where the data lives
| Group | Holds | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Catalog and category | Assortment boundaries, hierarchy and product placement. | Storefront navigation, console, services. |
| Product | Product types, attributes, variants, bundles and media references. | Product pages, basket, order lines. |
| Price | Price lists, tier rules and currency. | Catalog queries, promotions, basket totals. |
| Inventory | Warehouse stock and availability. | Storefront availability, order allocation. |
| Order and customer | Baskets, orders, statuses, versions and customer records. | Console, support, exports. |
| Tax and shipping | Zones, categories, rates, carriers and methods. | Checkout and order totals. |
| Promotion | Conditions, actions, priorities and date windows. | Basket calculation. |
| Configuration | Stores, languages, currencies, users and settings. | Console and services. |
Schema access
The original database documentation portal is not reproduced here. Work from the schema of the installation you actually run, and keep a versioned diagram with your own annotations.
Working with the data
Three habits that prevent incidents
Export with meaning
Keep a data dictionary beside every export. Column names alone are not documentation.
Test restores
A backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a recovery plan.
Primary sources
Data reference shelf
Standards, documentation and tools that are relevant to this topic. They open on the publisher's site.
- SQL Server Database engine documentation and editions.
- .NET platform Runtime, tooling and framework documentation from Microsoft.
- OData The open data protocol used by the WebStore services layer.
- NuGet Package distribution used by the .NET client and samples.
- Microsoft Learn Reference material for the Microsoft development stack.
- OWASP Application security guidance and cheat sheets.
- W3C Web standards for markup, accessibility and internationalization.
- web.dev Performance, accessibility and Core Web Vitals guidance.
- Semantic Versioning Version numbering conventions used in release notes.
- GitHub Source hosting and issue tracking for .NET projects.
Next step
Keep the data model explainable
A versioned diagram, a short data dictionary and a tested restore path are worth more than a large undocumented schema.