diff --git a/include/podio/AssociationCollection.h b/include/podio/AssociationCollection.h
index d5b704771..13f77f943 100644
--- a/include/podio/AssociationCollection.h
+++ b/include/podio/AssociationCollection.h
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@
 #include "podio/AssociationCollectionIterator.h"
 #include "podio/CollectionBase.h"
 #include "podio/CollectionBuffers.h"
+#include "podio/DatamodelRegistry.h"
 #include "podio/ICollectionProvider.h"
+#include "podio/SchemaEvolution.h"
 
 #ifdef PODIO_JSON_OUTPUT
   #include "nlohmann/json.hpp"
@@ -152,25 +154,25 @@ class AssociationCollection : public podio::CollectionBase {
     return m_storage.getCollectionBuffers(m_isSubsetColl);
   }
 
-  podio::CollectionReadBuffers createBuffers() override /*const*/ {
-    // Very cumbersome way at the moment. We get the actual buffers to have the
-    // references and vector members sized appropriately (we will use this
-    // information to create new buffers outside)
-    auto collBuffers = m_storage.getCollectionBuffers(m_isSubsetColl);
-    auto readBuffers = podio::CollectionReadBuffers{};
-    readBuffers.references = collBuffers.references;
-    readBuffers.vectorMembers = collBuffers.vectorMembers;
-    readBuffers.createCollection = [](podio::CollectionReadBuffers buffers, bool isSubsetColl) {
-      CollectionDataT data(buffers, isSubsetColl);
-      return std::make_unique<CollectionT>(std::move(data), isSubsetColl);
-    };
-    readBuffers.recast = [](podio::CollectionReadBuffers& buffers) {
-      if (buffers.data) {
-        buffers.data = podio::CollectionWriteBuffers::asVector<float>(buffers.data);
-      }
-    };
-    return readBuffers;
-  }
+  // podio::CollectionReadBuffers createBuffers() override /*const*/ {
+  //   // Very cumbersome way at the moment. We get the actual buffers to have the
+  //   // references and vector members sized appropriately (we will use this
+  //   // information to create new buffers outside)
+  //   auto collBuffers = m_storage.getCollectionBuffers(m_isSubsetColl);
+  //   auto readBuffers = podio::CollectionReadBuffers{};
+  //   readBuffers.references = collBuffers.references;
+  //   readBuffers.vectorMembers = collBuffers.vectorMembers;
+  //   readBuffers.createCollection = [](podio::CollectionReadBuffers buffers, bool isSubsetColl) {
+  //     CollectionDataT data(buffers, isSubsetColl);
+  //     return std::make_unique<CollectionT>(std::move(data), isSubsetColl);
+  //   };
+  //   readBuffers.recast = [](podio::CollectionReadBuffers& buffers) {
+  //     if (buffers.data) {
+  //       buffers.data = podio::CollectionWriteBuffers::asVector<float>(buffers.data);
+  //     }
+  //   };
+  //   return readBuffers;
+  // }
 
   std::string getTypeName() const override {
     return std::string("podio::AssociationCollection<") + FromT::TypeName + "," + ToT::TypeName + ">";
@@ -247,6 +249,16 @@ class AssociationCollection : public podio::CollectionBase {
     return m_storage.setReferences(collectionProvider, m_isSubsetColl);
   }
 
+  static constexpr SchemaVersionT schemaVersion = 1;
+
+  SchemaVersionT getSchemaVersion() const override {
+    return schemaVersion;
+  }
+
+  size_t getDatamodelRegistryIndex() const override {
+    return podio::DatamodelRegistry::NoDefinitionNecessary;
+  }
+
 private:
   // For setReferences, we need to give our own CollectionData access to our
   // private entries. Otherwise we would need to expose a public member function
diff --git a/include/podio/detail/AssociationSIOBlock.h b/include/podio/detail/AssociationSIOBlock.h
index 587bb965c..4c9a2767d 100644
--- a/include/podio/detail/AssociationSIOBlock.h
+++ b/include/podio/detail/AssociationSIOBlock.h
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 #include "podio/detail/AssociationFwd.h"
 
 #include "podio/CollectionBuffers.h"
-
 #include "podio/SIOBlock.h"
 
 #include <sio/api.h>
@@ -19,12 +18,14 @@ template <typename FromT, typename ToT>
 class AssociationSIOBlock : public podio::SIOBlock {
 public:
   AssociationSIOBlock() :
-      SIOBlock(podio::detail::associationSIOName<FromT, ToT>(), sio::version::encode_version(0, 1)) {
+      SIOBlock(podio::detail::associationSIOName<FromT, ToT>(),
+               sio::version::encode_version(AssociationCollection<FromT, ToT>::schemaVersion, 0)) {
     podio::SIOBlockFactory::instance().registerBlockForCollection(podio::detail::associationSIOName<FromT, ToT>(),
                                                                   this);
   }
 
-  AssociationSIOBlock(const std::string& name) : SIOBlock(name, sio::version::encode_version(0, 1)) {
+  AssociationSIOBlock(const std::string& name) :
+      SIOBlock(name, sio::version::encode_version(AssociationCollection<FromT, ToT>::schemaVersion, 0)) {
   }
 
   void read(sio::read_device& device, sio::version_type) override {
@@ -68,20 +69,20 @@ class AssociationSIOBlock : public podio::SIOBlock {
     }
   }
 
-  void createBuffers(const bool subsetCollection = false) override {
-    m_subsetColl = subsetCollection;
+  // void createBuffers(const bool subsetCollection = false) override {
+  //   m_subsetColl = subsetCollection;
 
-    m_buffers.references = new podio::CollRefCollection();
-    m_buffers.vectorMembers = new podio::VectorMembersInfo();
+  //   m_buffers.references = new podio::CollRefCollection();
+  //   m_buffers.vectorMembers = new podio::VectorMembersInfo();
 
-    m_buffers.createCollection = [](podio::CollectionReadBuffers buffers, bool isSubsetColl) {
-      AssociationCollectionData<FromT, ToT> data(buffers, isSubsetColl);
-      return std::make_unique<AssociationCollection<FromT, ToT>>(std::move(data), isSubsetColl);
-    };
+  //   m_buffers.createCollection = [](podio::CollectionReadBuffers buffers, bool isSubsetColl) {
+  //     AssociationCollectionData<FromT, ToT> data(buffers, isSubsetColl);
+  //     return std::make_unique<AssociationCollection<FromT, ToT>>(std::move(data), isSubsetColl);
+  //   };
 
-    // setCollection(new AssociationCollection<FromT, ToT>());
-    // _col->setSubsetCollection(subsetCollection);
-  }
+  //   // setCollection(new AssociationCollection<FromT, ToT>());
+  //   // _col->setSubsetCollection(subsetCollection);
+  // }
 
   SIOBlock* create(const std::string& name) const override {
     return new AssociationSIOBlock(name);
diff --git a/python/templates/CMakeLists.txt b/python/templates/CMakeLists.txt
index 475d80492..8091bb150 100644
--- a/python/templates/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/python/templates/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ set(PODIO_TEMPLATES
   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/SIOBlock.cc.jinja2
   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/SIOBlock.h.jinja2
   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/DatamodelDefinition.h.jinja2
-  ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/Associations.h.jinja2
   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/AssociationsRootDict.h.jinja2
   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/AssociationsSIOBlock.cc.jinja2
   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/macros/collections.jinja2