Data spaces and hiperspaces are data-only spaces that can hold up to 2 gigabytes of data. They provide integrity and isolation for the data they contain in much the same way as address spaces provide integrity and isolation for the code and data they contain. They are an extremely flexible solution to problems related to accessing large amounts of data. There are two basic ways to place data in a data space or a hiperspace. One way is through buffers in the program's address space. Another way avoids using address space virtual storage as an intermediate buffer area: through data-in-virtual services, a program can move data into a data space or hiperspace directly. For hiperspaces, this second way reduces the amount of I/O.

Programs that use data spaces run in AR ASC mode. They use MVS™ macros to create, control, and delete data spaces. Assembler instructions executing in the address space directly manipulate data that resides in data spaces.

Programs that use hiperspaces run in primary or AR ASC mode. They use MVS macros to create, control, and delete hiperspaces. Programs cannot directly manipulate data in a hiperspace, but use MVS macros to transfer data to and from the hiperspace for data manipulation. Hiperspaces provide high-speed access to large amounts of data.