Datasystems are the logical layer between a filesystem and higher-level file-oriented operations.

The Datasystems API provides a higher-level view of files in terms of useful data - data which has specific types, actions that can be performed on these types, and relationships to other files. For example, NetBeans might find these files in a newly-opened directory:

- `myform.form`
- `myform.java`
- `myform.class`
- `myform$1.class`
- `myform$2.class`

Logically, all of these files are interlinked, and it is the job of a data loader to associate them. In this case, a loader installed by the Form Editor into the system's loader pool would recognize the common basename of the files, and produce a special data object which encapsulates that there is a Java source with an accompanying form and compiled class files. This data object would then provide operations appropriate to a form on disk, and assist in creating an Explorer node subtree for it.