I totally get that it's different to what's in other frameworks (the router is similarly different), it's just that, for the most part, on the surface, it pretty much serves the same purpose (other than some relationship stuff that half works). That is, it's the same the same part of the framework, just with extra features. Oh, and with a whole load of undocumented coventions in it.
Btw, is there a diagram or something that shows how it's put together internally (I'm pretty comfortable with how to use it from an API perspective, but find myself having to dive into the source code fairly regularly)?
Unfortunately, no such diagram exists though it would certainly be useful. The lack of documentation is tied a lot to the instability of the Ember Data API, both of which are reasons why it hasn't had a formal release yet.
Btw, is there a diagram or something that shows how it's put together internally (I'm pretty comfortable with how to use it from an API perspective, but find myself having to dive into the source code fairly regularly)?