diff --git a/packages/cp-gql-schema/schema.gql b/packages/cp-gql-schema/schema.gql
index 1575c55b..71fd8391 100644
--- a/packages/cp-gql-schema/schema.gql
+++ b/packages/cp-gql-schema/schema.gql
@@ -88,7 +88,8 @@
     currentMetrics: [CurrentMetric]!
     connections: [String!] # list of serviceIds
     parent: ID # parent service id
-    package: Package! # we don't have this in current mock data
+    package: Package! # we don't have this in current mock data,
+    environment: [Environment]
   }
 
   # for metrics max / min (I guess)
@@ -105,6 +106,12 @@
     group: String!
   }
 
+  # environment variables
+  type Environment {
+    name: String!
+    value: String!
+  }
+
   enum InstanceStatus {
     CREATED
     RESTARTING
diff --git a/packages/portal-data/lib/index.js b/packages/portal-data/lib/index.js
index c6c86c3c..ffb175ab 100644
--- a/packages/portal-data/lib/index.js
+++ b/packages/portal-data/lib/index.js
@@ -274,4 +274,104 @@ module.exports = class Data {
       cb(null, manifests.map(Transform.fromManifest));
     });
   }
+
+
+  // services
+
+  createService (clientService, cb) {
+    this._db.services.insert(Transform.toService(clientService), (err, key) => {
+      if (err) {
+        return cb(err);
+      }
+
+      this.getService({ id: key }, cb);
+    });
+  }
+
+  getService ({ id, hash }, cb) {
+    const query = id ? { id } : { version_hash: hash };
+    this._db.services.single(query, (err, service) => {
+      if (err) {
+        return cb(err);
+      }
+
+      VAsync.parallel({
+        funcs: [
+          (next) => {
+            this._db.instances.get(service.instance_ids, next);
+          },
+          (next) => {
+            this._db.packages.single({ id: service.package_id }, next);
+          }
+        ]
+      }, (err, results) => {
+        if (err) {
+          return cb(err);
+        }
+
+        cb(null, Transform.fromService({ service, instances: results.successes[0], package: results.successes[1] }));
+      });
+    });
+  }
+
+  // TODO: get services with join/merge
+
+
+  // instances
+
+  createInstance (clientInstance, cb) {
+    this._db.instances.insert(Transform.toInstance(clientInstance), (err, key) => {
+      if (err) {
+        return cb(err);
+      }
+
+      clientInstance.id = key;
+      cb(null, clientInstance);
+    });
+  }
+
+  getInstance ({ id }, cb) {
+    this._db.instances.single({ id }, (err, instance) => {
+      if (err) {
+        return cb(err);
+      }
+
+      cb(null, instance ? Transform.fromInstance(instance) : {});
+    });
+  }
+
+
+  // packages
+
+  createPackage (clientPackage, cb) {
+    this._db.packages.insert(Transform.toPackage(clientPackage), (err, key) => {
+      if (err) {
+        return cb(err);
+      }
+
+      clientPackage.id = key;
+      cb(null, clientPackage);
+    });
+  }
+
+  getPackage ({ id }, cb) {
+    this._db.packages.single({ id }, (err, dbPackage) => {
+      if (err) {
+        return cb(err);
+      }
+
+      cb(null, dbPackage ? Transform.fromPackage(dbPackage) : {});
+    });
+  }
+
+  getPackages ({ name, type }, cb) {
+    const query = name ? { name } : { type };
+    this._db.packages.query(query, (err, dbPackages) => {
+      if (err) {
+        return cb(err);
+      }
+
+      cb(null, dbPackages ? dbPackages.map(Transform.fromPackage) : []);
+    });
+  }
 };
diff --git a/packages/portal-data/lib/transform.js b/packages/portal-data/lib/transform.js
index 3e344247..3ae67612 100644
--- a/packages/portal-data/lib/transform.js
+++ b/packages/portal-data/lib/transform.js
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ exports.fromDeploymentGroup = function (deploymentGroup, services) {
     id: deploymentGroup.id,
     name: deploymentGroup.name,
     slug: deploymentGroup.slug,
-    services: services.map(exports.fromService),
+    services: services ? services.map((service) => { return exports.fromService({ service }); }) : [],
     version: deploymentGroup.version_id,
     history: deploymentGroup.history_version_ids || []
   };
@@ -48,8 +48,32 @@ exports.toDeploymentGroup = function ({ name }) {
 };
 
 
-exports.fromService = function (service) {
+exports.fromService = function ({ service, instances, packages }) {
+  return {
+    id: service.id,
+    hash: service.version_hash,
+    name: service.name,
+    slug: service.slug,
+    environment: service.environment || [],
+    instances: instances ? instances.map(exports.fromInstance) : [],
+    currentMetrics: [],
+    connections: service.service_dependency_ids,
+    package: packages ? exports.fromPackage(packages) : {},
+    parent: service.parent_id || ''
+  };
+};
 
+exports.toService = function (clientService) {
+  return {
+    version_hash: clientService.hash || '',
+    name: clientService.name,
+    slug: clientService.slub || '',
+    environment: clientService.environment || {},
+    instance_ids: clientService.intances ? clientService.instances.map((instance) => { return instance.id; }) : [],
+    service_dependency_ids: clientService.connections || [],
+    package_id: clientService.package ? clientService.package.id : '',
+    parent_id: clientService.parent || ''
+  };
 };
 
 
@@ -127,3 +151,31 @@ exports.fromManifest = function (manifest) {
     json: manifest.json
   };
 };
+
+
+exports.fromPackage = function (packages) {
+  return packages;
+};
+
+exports.toPackage = function (packages) {
+  return packages;
+};
+
+
+exports.fromInstance = function (instance) {
+  return {
+    id: instance.id,
+    name: instance.name,
+    machineId: instance.machine_id,
+    status: instance.status || ''
+  };
+};
+
+exports.toInstance = function (clientInstance) {
+  return {
+    id: clientInstance.id,
+    name: clientInstance.name,
+    machine_id: clientInstance.machineId,
+    status: clientInstance.status || ''
+  };
+};
diff --git a/packages/portal-data/test/index.js b/packages/portal-data/test/index.js
index a16e7346..dda10b10 100644
--- a/packages/portal-data/test/index.js
+++ b/packages/portal-data/test/index.js
@@ -515,3 +515,161 @@ describe('manifests', () => {
     });
   });
 });
+
+
+describe('instances', () => {
+  describe('createInstance()', () => {
+    it('creates a new instance record in the instances table', (done) => {
+      const data = new PortalData(internals.options);
+      data.connect((err) => {
+        expect(err).to.not.exist();
+
+        const clientInstance = {
+          name: 'my test',
+          machineId: 'something',
+          status: 'CREATED'
+        };
+
+        data.createInstance(clientInstance, (err, result) => {
+          expect(err).to.not.exist();
+          expect(result.id).to.exist();
+          expect(result.name).to.equal(clientInstance.name);
+          done();
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('geInstance()', () => {
+    it('retrieves an instance record from the instances table', (done) => {
+      const data = new PortalData(internals.options);
+      data.connect((err) => {
+        expect(err).to.not.exist();
+
+        const clientInstance = {
+          name: 'my test',
+          machineId: 'something',
+          status: 'CREATED'
+        };
+
+        data.createInstance(clientInstance, (err, result) => {
+          expect(err).to.not.exist();
+          expect(result.id).to.exist();
+          data.getInstance({ id: result.id }, (err, instance) => {
+            expect(err).to.not.exist();
+            expect(instance).to.equal(result);
+            done();
+          });
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+
+describe('packages', () => {
+  describe('createPackage()', () => {
+    it('creates a new package record in the packages table', (done) => {
+      const data = new PortalData(internals.options);
+      data.connect((err) => {
+        expect(err).to.not.exist();
+
+        const clientPackage = {
+          name: 'small',
+          type: 'mem-small',
+          memory: 12123413,
+          disk: 4224243,
+          swap: 1224324,
+          lwps: 12,
+          vcpus: 1,
+          version: '',
+          group: ''
+        };
+
+        data.createPackage(clientPackage, (err, result) => {
+          expect(err).to.not.exist();
+          expect(result.id).to.exist();
+          expect(result.name).to.equal(clientPackage.name);
+          done();
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('getPackage()', () => {
+    it('retrieves a package record from the packages table', (done) => {
+      const data = new PortalData(internals.options);
+      data.connect((err) => {
+        expect(err).to.not.exist();
+
+        const clientPackage = {
+          name: 'small',
+          type: 'mem-small',
+          memory: 12123413,
+          disk: 4224243,
+          swap: 1224324,
+          lwps: 12,
+          vcpus: 1,
+          version: '',
+          group: ''
+        };
+
+        data.createPackage(clientPackage, (err, createdPackage) => {
+          expect(err).to.not.exist();
+          expect(createdPackage.id).to.exist();
+          data.getPackage({ id: createdPackage.id }, (err, retrievedPackage) => {
+            expect(err).to.not.exist();
+            expect(retrievedPackage).to.equal(createdPackage);
+            done();
+          });
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('getPackages()', () => {
+    it('retrieves packages using with the same type', (done) => {
+      const data = new PortalData(internals.options);
+      data.connect((err) => {
+        expect(err).to.not.exist();
+
+        const clientPackage1 = {
+          name: 'small',
+          type: 'mem-small',
+          memory: 12123413,
+          disk: 4224243,
+          swap: 1224324,
+          lwps: 12,
+          vcpus: 1,
+          version: '',
+          group: ''
+        };
+
+        const clientPackage2 = {
+          name: 'smaller',
+          type: 'mem-small',
+          memory: 1213,
+          disk: 243,
+          swap: 1324,
+          lwps: 1,
+          vcpus: 1,
+          version: '',
+          group: ''
+        };
+
+        data.createPackage(clientPackage1, (err, createdPackage1) => {
+          expect(err).to.not.exist();
+          data.createPackage(clientPackage2, (err, createdPackage2) => {
+            expect(err).to.not.exist();
+
+            data.getPackages({ type: clientPackage1.type }, (err, packages) => {
+              expect(err).to.not.exist();
+              expect(packages.length).to.equal(2);
+              done();
+            });
+          });
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});