The COBie format is a subset of the contents of a Building Information Model (BIM). It is non-graphic data defined as a Model View Definition (MVD) of the Industry Foundation Class (IFC) schema. It can also be represented in a spreadsheet format.

The structure of the tables that make up COBie includes hierarchies based on the data types:

Each data table includes a standardized set of data fields, and each field is designated as either always required, required if stated in the contract, or a reference to another field in the database. The COBie standard allows asset owners to define the specific fields they want in their data delivery. In fact, it provides the best results for asset owners when they specify what they require to be delivered.