---
template: "page.peb"
title: "Data Context Definition (DCD)"
description: "Agents perform optimally when their context consists of 3 major components:"
displayName: "Data Context Definition (DCD)"
category: "agents"
contentType: "reference"
audience: "developer"
tags: "agents"
section: "agents"
seoTitle: "Data Context Definition (DCD)"
seoDescription: "Agents perform optimally when their context consists of 3 major components:"
---

## Data Context Definition (DCD)

## Challenge
Agents perform optimally when their context consists of 3 major components:
1. Instructions and Agent context
2. Data 
3. Skills

## Solution
Data Context Definition (DCD) is a structured JSON schema used to define the context and parameters for data-related operations within an application or system. It provides a standardized way to describe the data sources, formats, and processing requirements, enabling seamless integration and interaction between different components.

The Salesforce managed package includes a custom object for AIContextDefinition__c that stores DCDs and can be used to relate 
several objects to a DCD.

## Record Centric
Most DCDs are "record centric", meaning they are designed to retrieve data related to a specific record, and related records, in Salesforce.

Rendering a Sales Quote, for example, given an Opportunity recordId context, the DCD tells the Agent to retrieve the Opportunity record, its parent Account record, and its child OpportunityLineItem records.

## CRM Applications
In CRM use cases, the "context" for an Agent often includes historical data and records about the customer.
Particularly in B2B Account-Based scenarios, the context includes Account information, past Cases, Opportunities, Contacts, and related records.

A well crafted DCD gives Agents highly relevant data to provide personalized experiences.

## Example
The DCD below defines a record centric context for an Opportunity record, its parent Account, and its child OpportunityLineItems.

```json
{
  "version": "1.0",
  "mode": "record",
  "master": {
    "objectApiName": "Opportunity",
    "alias": "opportunity"
  },
  "meta": {
    "definitionId": "ctx-def:{GUID}",
    "revision": 3,
    "sourceType": "SALESFORCE",
    "sourceId": "a2Fxx0000001234AAA",
    "orgId": "00Dxx0000001ABC",
    "dataSourceId": "sf-prod",
    "lastModifiedBy": "005xx0000017XYZ",
    "lastModifiedDate": "2025-11-25T19:05:33Z"
  },
  "params": {
    "recordIdParam": "recordId"
  },
  "datasets": [
    {
      "name": "opportunity",
      "objectApiName": "Opportunity",
      "cardinality": "one",
      "scope": "record",
      "relationship": {
        "type": "master"
      },
      "fields": [
        "Id",
        "Name",
        "StageName",
        "Amount",
        "CloseDate",
        "Terms__c"
      ],
      "filters": [],
      "orderBy": [],
      "exposeAsRoot": true
    },
    {
      "name": "account",
      "objectApiName": "Account",
      "cardinality": "one",
      "scope": "related",
      "relationship": {
        "type": "parent",
        "dependsOn": "opportunity",
        "viaFieldOnFrom": "AccountId"
      },
      "fields": [
        "Id",
        "Name",
        "BillingStreet",
        "BillingCity",
        "BillingState",
        "BillingPostalCode",
        "BillingCountry"
      ],
      "filters": [],
      "orderBy": [],
      "exposeAsRoot": true
    },
    {
      "name": "lineItems",
      "objectApiName": "OpportunityLineItem",
      "cardinality": "many",
      "scope": "related",
      "relationship": {
        "type": "child",
        "dependsOn": "opportunity",
        "viaFieldOnChild": "OpportunityId"
      },
      "fields": [
        "Id",
        "Quantity",
        "UnitPrice",
        "TotalPrice",
        "Discount",
        "Product2.Name",
        "Product2.Family"
      ],
      "filters": [
        {
          "field": "Quantity",
          "operator": "\u003e",
          "value": "0"
        }
      ],
      "orderBy": [
        {
          "field": "SortOrder__c",
          "direction": "ASC",
          "nullPlacement": "LAST"
        }
      ],
      "maxRecords": 200,
      "exposeAsRoot": true
    }
  ]
}
```