The CDM is platform-independent. Data types are defined generically using ANSI SQL data types (VARCHAR, INTEGER, FLOAT, DATE, TIME, CLOB). Precision is provided only for VARCHAR. It reflects the minimal required string length and can be expanded within a CDM instantiation. The CDM does not prescribe the date and time format. Standard queries against CDM may vary for local instantiations and date/time configurations.

In most cases, the first field in each table ends in “_id”, containing a record identifier that can be used as a foreign key in another table.