  The planned Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), a future ground-based
Very-High-Energy (VHE) gamma-ray observatory, will be the largest project of
its kind. It aims to provide an order of magnitude increase in sensitivity
compared to currently operating VHE experiments and open access to guest
observers. These features, together with the thirty years lifetime planned for
the installation, impose severe constraints on the data model currently being
developed for the project.
  In this contribution we analyze the challenges faced by the CTA data model
development and present the requirements imposed to face them. While the full
data model is still not completed we show the organization of the work, status
of the design, and an overview of the prototyping efforts carried out so far.
We also show examples of specific aspects of the data model currently under
development.
