A schema that enables a user to store data generated in an array-based computing environment in a scientific data file is disclosed. The schema may provide a mapping between the data types of the array-based computing environment and the data types of the scientific data file format. The schema may also apply when data is loaded from the scientific data file into the array-based computing environment. When the data is stored in the scientific data file, the file contains descriptions of the data as the variables of the array-based computing environment so that the data in the file can be loaded into the array-based computing environment without additional user input. The loaded variables (name and value) are identical to their state before the data is stored in the file.