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The Data Model: Immutable Snapshots ​

The workspace snapshot, an immutable directed acyclic graph (DAG), is the core data type in System Initiative and represents the complete system state at a specific point in time.

Snapshot Structure ​

The structure begins with a single root node and a collection of direct neighbors that each represent a different category of primitives within System Initiative. Every node in the snapshot is connected indirectly to the root through the categories.

Nodes ​

There are several distinct node types in the snapshot, including but not limited to:

  • Modules: Portable collections of schemas and functions
  • Schemas: Component type definitions with property schemas, validation rules, and function definitions
  • Functions: Executable code units with dependency declarations and execution metadata
  • Components: An instance of a schema, with all configuration, relationships, and resource tracking if applicable
  • Values: Configuration data, inputs to functions, computed results, and provider responses
  • Views: Partition containing a set of components
  • Secrets: Reference pointer to an encrypted credential
  • Actions: Intended operations for external system modification or interaction

Nodes contain metadata, pointers to content-addressable storage (CAS) objects, and a Merkle-tree hash of all downstream nodes and edges. This design enables:

  • Deduplication of identical content across snapshots
  • Atomic updates to content through pointer swapping
  • Efficient node differentiation through Merkle-tree comparison

Edges ​

Edges encode multiple relationship types that enable deterministic graph traversals, for example:

  • Containment: Hierarchical ownership (Ex: Views contain components)
  • Dependency: Execution ordering constraints (Ex: Function A depends on the output of function B)
  • Lineage: Definition tracking and versioning (Ex: Component was created from Schema Variant A)

Versioning and Copy-on-Write Semantics ​

Versioning of snapshots is explicit through the use of change sets. During a mutation, the source snapshot establishes a baseline, and all nodes/edges are cloned using copy-on-write semantics - retaining any unchanged pointers to relevant CAS objects. This approach enables rapid snapshot creation and efficient storage utilization while maintaining immutability guarantees. The Merkle-tree hash allows fast snapshot comparison, enabling the engine to compute minimal mutation sets when synchronizing or replaying changes.