Data source components (DSCs) enable the UNICOM Intelligence Data Model to read and write data in different formats. Each DSC is specific to a particular type and format of data. However, regardless of the format of the underlying data, the UNICOM Intelligence Data Model always presents the data in a standard way. Each DSC has its own rules for interpreting and writing the underlying data.

A DSC can be a case data source component (CDSC), which reads and/or writes response data, a metadata source component (MDSC), which reads and/or writes metadata, or both CDSC and MDSC. DSCs vary in their capabilities. For example, some DSCs can only read data, others can only write data, and some can both read and write data.

The UNICOM Intelligence Data Model includes some DSCs: see Available DSCs. You can also create them: you might want to do this if your data is in a format for which a DSC is not supplied.