DXA has its own data model for use with Tridion Sites. The default DXA Content Provider and Model Builder pipeline both use the DXA data model.
The DXA data model provides the following features and benefits:
- Support for both .NET and Java
- DXA Template Building Blocks (TBBs) that render JSON in the DXA data model
- Straightforward mapping to DXA View Models
Note: In release 1.x, the DXA data model was actually one and the same with the DD4T data model, which predated DXA. In release 2.0, DXA improved upon the DD4T version with the introduction of the "R2 data model," which was leaner and less verbose, with more straightforward mapping to View Models. Where a distinction is needed, such as installation, we refer to the "R2 data model," but otherwise, we say simply the DXA data model.