# Creating data stores

Copy as Markdown[View as Markdown](/docs/development/guides/data/adding-data.md)

***

**Added in** `eventcatalog@2.59.0`

Data stores live in a `/containers` folder. This folder can be placed anywhere in your catalog.

The contents are split into two sections, **frontmatter** and the **markdown content**.

*Here is an example of what a data store markdown file may look like.*

/containers/OrdersDatabase/index.mdx (example)

```
---
# id of your data store, used for slugs and references in EventCatalog.
id: orders-db
# Display name of the data store, rendered in EventCatalog.
name: Orders DB
# Version of the data store
version: 0.0.1
# Type of the data store (e.g. database, cache, objectStore, searchIndex)
container_type: database
# Technology of the data store (e.g. postgres@14, redis@7, etc)
technology: postgres@14
# Classification of the data store (e.g. internal, external, etc)
classification: internal
# Retention of the data store (e.g. 7y, 10y, etc)
retention: 7y
# Residency of the data store (e.g. eu-west-1, us-east-1, etc)
residency: eu-west-1
---

## Overview

This orders database stores all orders and order lines for the orders domain.

<NodeGraph />
```

Once this file is added, the event will automatically appear across EventCatalog.

## Writing data store content[​](#writing-data-store-content "Direct link to Writing data store content")

You can write any Markdown inside a data store.

Each data store gets its own page, so use this space to fully explain how it works.

You can also use [interactive components](/docs/development/components/using-components.md) to enrich your documentation.

## Assign read/write relationships to data stores[​](#assign-readwrite-relationships-to-data-stores "Direct link to Assign read/write relationships to data stores")

You can assign read/write relationships to data stores in EventCatalog. You can read more about how to do this [here](/docs/development/guides/services/adding-to-services/adding-data-stores-to-services.md).

## Custom icon[​](#custom-icon "Direct link to Custom icon")

**Added in** `eventcatalog@3.28.1`

Set `styles.icon` in your frontmatter to display a custom icon on the data store. The icon appears in the visualiser node, sidebar navigation, page header, and search results.

/containers/OrdersDatabase/index.mdx (example)

```
---
id: orders-db
name: Orders DB
version: 0.0.1
container_type: database
technology: postgres@14
styles:
  icon: /icons/database/postgresql.svg
---
```

The value can be a path to a file in your catalog's `public/` folder (e.g. `/icons/database/postgresql.svg`) or an absolute URL. Drop SVG, PNG, or WEBP files into your catalog's `public/` folder and reference them by path.

### What do data stores look like in EventCatalog?[​](#what-do-data-stores-look-like-in-eventcatalog "Direct link to What do data stores look like in EventCatalog?")

![Example](/assets/images/data-example-147f3041afae6ef63c0a283762e9e704.png)

*You can see an example of a data store in the [EventCatalog demo](https://demo.eventcatalog.dev/docs/containers/order-metadata-store/0.0.1).*