Conformance to the DICOM Standard is stated in terms of Service-Object Pair (SOP) Classes, which represent Services (such as Storage using network, media, or web) operating on types of Information Objects (such as CT or MR images).

SOP Class specifications in the DICOM Standard are only changed in a manner that is intended to be forward and backward compatible for all editions of the Standard. Conformance requirements and conformance claims are therefore referenced to the identifier of the SOP Class, and never referenced to an edition of the Standard.

Each implementation is required to provide a Conformance Statement, in accordance with a consistent pro forma structure, facilitating comparison of products for interoperability.