diff --git a/src/dom_components/model/Component.ts b/src/dom_components/model/Component.ts
index 6aabc0d74..d97f67652 100644
--- a/src/dom_components/model/Component.ts
+++ b/src/dom_components/model/Component.ts
@@ -882,15 +882,21 @@ export default class Component extends StyleableModel<ComponentProperties> {
     this.off(event, this.initTraits);
     this.__loadTraits();
     const attrs = { ...this.get('attributes') };
+    const traitDataVariableAttr: ObjectAny = {};
     const traits = this.traits;
     traits.each((trait) => {
       if (!trait.changeProp) {
         const name = trait.getName();
         const value = trait.getInitValue();
+        if (trait.dataVariable) {
+          traitDataVariableAttr[name] = trait.dataVariable;
+        }
         if (name && value) attrs[name] = value;
       }
     });
     traits.length && this.set('attributes', attrs);
+    // store the trait data-variable attributes outside the attributes object so you can load a project with data-variable attributes
+    Object.keys(traitDataVariableAttr).length && this.set('attributes-data-variable', traitDataVariableAttr);
     this.on(event, this.initTraits);
     changed && em && em.trigger('component:toggled');
     return this;
diff --git a/test/specs/data_sources/__snapshots__/serialization.ts.snap b/test/specs/data_sources/__snapshots__/serialization.ts.snap
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..915b90232
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/specs/data_sources/__snapshots__/serialization.ts.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+// Jest Snapshot v1, https://goo.gl/fbAQLP
+
+exports[`DataSource Serialization .getProjectData ComponentDataVariable 1`] = `
+{
+  "assets": [],
+  "pages": [
+    {
+      "frames": [
+        {
+          "component": {
+            "components": [
+              {
+                "components": [
+                  {
+                    "path": "component-serialization.id1.content",
+                    "type": "data-variable",
+                    "value": "default",
+                  },
+                ],
+                "tagName": "h1",
+                "type": "text",
+              },
+            ],
+            "docEl": {
+              "tagName": "html",
+            },
+            "head": {
+              "type": "head",
+            },
+            "stylable": [
+              "background",
+              "background-color",
+              "background-image",
+              "background-repeat",
+              "background-attachment",
+              "background-position",
+              "background-size",
+            ],
+            "type": "wrapper",
+          },
+          "id": "data-variable-id",
+        },
+      ],
+      "id": "data-variable-id",
+      "type": "main",
+    },
+  ],
+  "styles": [],
+  "symbols": [],
+}
+`;
+
+exports[`DataSource Serialization .getProjectData StyleDataVariable 1`] = `
+{
+  "assets": [],
+  "pages": [
+    {
+      "frames": [
+        {
+          "component": {
+            "components": [
+              {
+                "attributes": {
+                  "id": "data-variable-id",
+                },
+                "content": "Hello World",
+                "tagName": "h1",
+                "type": "text",
+              },
+            ],
+            "docEl": {
+              "tagName": "html",
+            },
+            "head": {
+              "type": "head",
+            },
+            "stylable": [
+              "background",
+              "background-color",
+              "background-image",
+              "background-repeat",
+              "background-attachment",
+              "background-position",
+              "background-size",
+            ],
+            "type": "wrapper",
+          },
+          "id": "data-variable-id",
+        },
+      ],
+      "id": "data-variable-id",
+      "type": "main",
+    },
+  ],
+  "styles": [
+    {
+      "selectors": [
+        "data-variable-id",
+      ],
+      "style": {
+        "color": {
+          "path": "colors-data.id1.color",
+          "type": "data-variable",
+          "value": "black",
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  ],
+  "symbols": [],
+}
+`;
+
+exports[`DataSource Serialization .getProjectData TraitDataVariable 1`] = `
+{
+  "assets": [],
+  "pages": [
+    {
+      "frames": [
+        {
+          "component": {
+            "components": [
+              {
+                "attributes": {
+                  "value": "test-value",
+                },
+                "attributes-data-variable": {
+                  "value": {
+                    "path": "test-input.id1.value",
+                    "type": "data-variable",
+                    "value": "default",
+                  },
+                },
+                "tagName": "input",
+                "void": true,
+              },
+            ],
+            "docEl": {
+              "tagName": "html",
+            },
+            "head": {
+              "type": "head",
+            },
+            "stylable": [
+              "background",
+              "background-color",
+              "background-image",
+              "background-repeat",
+              "background-attachment",
+              "background-position",
+              "background-size",
+            ],
+            "type": "wrapper",
+          },
+          "id": "data-variable-id",
+        },
+      ],
+      "id": "data-variable-id",
+      "type": "main",
+    },
+  ],
+  "styles": [],
+  "symbols": [],
+}
+`;
diff --git a/test/specs/data_sources/serialization.ts b/test/specs/data_sources/serialization.ts
index 84214975b..9f83e0f5a 100644
--- a/test/specs/data_sources/serialization.ts
+++ b/test/specs/data_sources/serialization.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,45 @@
-import Editor from '../../../src/editor/model/Editor';
+import Editor from '../../../src/editor';
 import DataSourceManager from '../../../src/data_sources';
 import { DataSourceProps } from '../../../src/data_sources/types';
 import ComponentWrapper from '../../../src/dom_components/model/ComponentWrapper';
 import { DataVariableType } from '../../../src/data_sources/model/DataVariable';
+import EditorModel from '../../../src/editor/model/Editor';
+
+// Filter out the unique ids and selectors replaced with 'data-variable-id'
+// Makes the snapshot more stable
+function filterObjectForSnapshot(obj: any, parentKey: string = ''): any {
+  const result: any = {};
+
+  for (const key in obj) {
+    if (key === 'id') {
+      result[key] = 'data-variable-id';
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (key === 'selectors') {
+      result[key] = obj[key].map(() => 'data-variable-id');
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (typeof obj[key] === 'object' && obj[key] !== null) {
+      if (Array.isArray(obj[key])) {
+        result[key] = obj[key].map((item: any) =>
+          typeof item === 'object' ? filterObjectForSnapshot(item, key) : item,
+        );
+      } else {
+        result[key] = filterObjectForSnapshot(obj[key], key);
+      }
+    } else {
+      result[key] = obj[key];
+    }
+  }
+
+  return result;
+}
 
 describe('DataSource Serialization', () => {
-  let em: Editor;
+  let editor: Editor;
+  let em: EditorModel;
   let dsm: DataSourceManager;
   let fixtures: HTMLElement;
   let cmpRoot: ComponentWrapper;
@@ -18,10 +52,11 @@ describe('DataSource Serialization', () => {
   };
 
   beforeEach(() => {
-    em = new Editor({
+    editor = new Editor({
       mediaCondition: 'max-width',
       avoidInlineStyle: true,
     });
+    em = editor.getModel();
     dsm = em.DataSources;
     document.body.innerHTML = '<div id="fixtures"></div>';
     const { Pages, Components } = em;
@@ -61,4 +96,116 @@ describe('DataSource Serialization', () => {
     const html = em.getHtml();
     expect(html).toMatchInlineSnapshot('"<body><h1><div>Hello World</div></h1></body>"');
   });
+
+  // DataSources TODO
+  test.todo('component .getCss');
+
+  // DataSources TODO
+  test.todo('component .getJs');
+
+  describe('.getProjectData', () => {
+    test('ComponentDataVariable', () => {
+      const dataVariable = {
+        type: DataVariableType,
+        value: 'default',
+        path: `${datasource.id}.id1.content`,
+      };
+
+      cmpRoot.append({
+        tagName: 'h1',
+        type: 'text',
+        components: [dataVariable],
+      })[0];
+
+      const projectData = editor.getProjectData();
+      const page = projectData.pages[0];
+      const frame = page.frames[0];
+      const component = frame.component.components[0];
+      expect(component.components[0]).toEqual(dataVariable);
+
+      const snapshot = filterObjectForSnapshot(projectData);
+      expect(snapshot).toMatchSnapshot(``);
+    });
+
+    test('StyleDataVariable', () => {
+      const styleDataSource: DataSourceProps = {
+        id: 'colors-data',
+        records: [{ id: 'id1', color: 'red' }],
+      };
+      dsm.add(styleDataSource);
+
+      const dataVariable = {
+        type: DataVariableType,
+        value: 'black',
+        path: 'colors-data.id1.color',
+      };
+
+      cmpRoot.append({
+        tagName: 'h1',
+        type: 'text',
+        content: 'Hello World',
+        style: {
+          color: dataVariable,
+        },
+      })[0];
+
+      const projectData = editor.getProjectData();
+      const page = projectData.pages[0];
+      const frame = page.frames[0];
+      const component = frame.component.components[0];
+      const componentId = component.attributes.id;
+      expect(componentId).toBeDefined();
+
+      const styleSelector = projectData.styles.find((style: any) => style.selectors[0] === `#${componentId}`);
+      expect(styleSelector.style).toEqual({
+        color: dataVariable,
+      });
+
+      const snapshot = filterObjectForSnapshot(projectData);
+      expect(snapshot).toMatchSnapshot(``);
+    });
+
+    test('TraitDataVariable', () => {
+      const record = { id: 'id1', value: 'test-value' };
+      const inputDataSource: DataSourceProps = {
+        id: 'test-input',
+        records: [record],
+      };
+      dsm.add(inputDataSource);
+
+      const dataVariable = {
+        type: DataVariableType,
+        value: 'default',
+        path: `${inputDataSource.id}.id1.value`,
+      };
+
+      cmpRoot.append({
+        tagName: 'input',
+        traits: [
+          'name',
+          {
+            type: 'text',
+            label: 'Value',
+            name: 'value',
+            value: dataVariable,
+          },
+        ],
+      })[0];
+
+      const projectData = editor.getProjectData();
+      const page = projectData.pages[0];
+      const frame = page.frames[0];
+      const component = frame.component.components[0];
+      expect(component).toHaveProperty('attributes-data-variable');
+      expect(component['attributes-data-variable']).toEqual({
+        value: dataVariable,
+      });
+      expect(component.attributes).toEqual({
+        value: record.value,
+      });
+
+      const snapshot = filterObjectForSnapshot(projectData);
+      expect(snapshot).toMatchSnapshot(``);
+    });
+  });
 });