Here's a nsampling of some of the routine in the resource model service (the resource generators use a combination of these methods to build components):
CreateNewResource
DeleteResource
FormAssociation
GetAssociatedChildResources
GetAssociatedParentresources
GetDataClassesForResourceType
GetRelationshipsForResourceType
GetResource
GetResources
RemoveDataClassFromResource
RemoveResourceFromGroup
SaveDataClass
SaveResource