# Data Management

{% hint style="warning" %}
**This is the manual for older MicroStream versions (Version < 5.0).**

**The new documentation (Version >= 5.0) is located at:**

[https://docs.microstream.one/](https://docs.microstream.one/manual)
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## Where is the data of my database located

MicroStream connects your application's entity graph residing in memory to a physical form of data (i.e. persistent data) to/from which entity data is stored/loaded as required.

## **What if my database is really big?**

MicroStream uses the common concept of "[Lazy Loading](https://manual.docs.microstream.one/3.0/data-store/loading-data/lazy-loading)", allowing you to define which parts of your data (entity sub-graphs) are loaded only when required instead of eagerly at startup. A few well-placed lazy references in your entity model make your application load only a tiny bit of "head" entities at startup time and load everything else later on demand. This allows the handling of arbitrarily big databases with relatively small memory requirements.