So far I know that self.pool['MODEL_NAME'] gets me an instance of a model, and I've seen self.search() being used to get a list of surroogate keys, and self.browse() being used to lookup objects for those keys.
What I'm looking for is an explanation of what all the arguments are for those functions with perhaps an explanation of the performance impact of using them. Even if I can keep studying examples of these in the addons until I cobble something together which works, it is likely to have unpleasant side effects unless I understand when it is most appropriate to use which function.
I've been reading the source of these functions but that is a much deeper rabbit hole before I can really put it all together. An explanation written for humans of this part of the system would be very helpful, if one exists.
Sorry about the second question in a day, I thought asking this question would obviate the need for several future questions.
Comically, I cannot approve and answer and I cannot comment on an answer because both require more karma than I have. Thanks Fabian, https://www.odoo.com/documentation/8.0/reference/orm.html#common-orm-methods was what I was looking for, although it's hard to say how much of it applies to v7.