1# DataAbility Component Overview 2 3 4A DataAbility is an ability that uses the Data template. It provides unified data access for external systems, but not a UI for user interaction. A DataAbility can be started by a PageAbility, a ServiceAbility, or other applications. It remains to run in the background even after the user switches to another application. 5 6 7A DataAbility helps applications manage access to data stored by themselves and other applications, and provides methods for sharing data with other applications, either on the same device or across devices. 8 9 10Data can be stored in a database or files on disks. The DataAbility provide methods for inserting, deleting, updating, and querying data, and opening files. You should implement these methods. 11