diff --git a/packages/ember-data/lib/system/relationships/state/relationship.js b/packages/ember-data/lib/system/relationships/state/relationship.js
index 519e10e5a0a..2b27a94c624 100644
--- a/packages/ember-data/lib/system/relationships/state/relationship.js
+++ b/packages/ember-data/lib/system/relationships/state/relationship.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ var Relationship = function(store, record, inverseKey, relationshipMeta) {
   //multiple possible typeKeys
   this.inverseKeyForImplicit = this.store.modelFor(this.record.constructor).typeKey + this.key;
   this.linkPromise = null;
+  this.hasData = false;
 };
 
 Relationship.prototype = {
@@ -230,7 +231,11 @@ Relationship.prototype = {
   },
 
   notifyRecordRelationshipAdded: Ember.K,
-  notifyRecordRelationshipRemoved: Ember.K
+  notifyRecordRelationshipRemoved: Ember.K,
+
+  setHasData: function() {
+    this.hasData = true;
+  }
 };
 
 
diff --git a/packages/ember-data/lib/system/store.js b/packages/ember-data/lib/system/store.js
index b7c9c4a1178..f31f802f64a 100644
--- a/packages/ember-data/lib/system/store.js
+++ b/packages/ember-data/lib/system/store.js
@@ -331,6 +331,10 @@ Store = Service.extend({
     // Set the properties specified on the record.
     record.setProperties(properties);
 
+    record.eachRelationship(function(key, descriptor) {
+      record._relationships[key].setHasData(true);
+    });
+
     return record;
   },
 
@@ -2059,13 +2063,13 @@ function setupRelationships(store, record, data) {
       relationship.updateLink(data.links[key]);
     }
 
-    if (kind === 'belongsTo') {
-      if (value === undefined) {
-        return;
+    if (value !== undefined) {
+      if (kind === 'belongsTo') {
+        relationship.setCanonicalRecord(value);
+      } else if (kind === 'hasMany') {
+        relationship.updateRecordsFromAdapter(value);
       }
-      relationship.setCanonicalRecord(value);
-    } else if (kind === 'hasMany' && value) {
-      relationship.updateRecordsFromAdapter(value);
+      relationship.setHasData(true);
     }
   });
 }
diff --git a/packages/ember-data/tests/integration/relationships/belongs-to-test.js b/packages/ember-data/tests/integration/relationships/belongs-to-test.js
index 67fdf112a79..a906968a355 100644
--- a/packages/ember-data/tests/integration/relationships/belongs-to-test.js
+++ b/packages/ember-data/tests/integration/relationships/belongs-to-test.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-var env, store, User, Message, Post, Contact, Comment, Book, Author, NewMessage;
+var env, store, User, Message, Post, Contact, Comment, Book, Chapter, Author, NewMessage;
 var get = Ember.get;
 var run = Ember.run;
 
@@ -47,11 +47,18 @@ module("integration/relationship/belongs_to Belongs-To Relationships", {
 
     Book = DS.Model.extend({
       name: attr('string'),
-      author: belongsTo('author')
+      author: belongsTo('author'),
+      chapters: hasMany('chapters')
+    });
+
+    Chapter = DS.Model.extend({
+      title: attr('string'),
+      belongsTo: belongsTo('book')
     });
 
     Author = DS.Model.extend({
-      name: attr('string')
+      name: attr('string'),
+      books: hasMany('books')
     });
 
     env = setupStore({
@@ -60,6 +67,7 @@ module("integration/relationship/belongs_to Belongs-To Relationships", {
       comment: Comment,
       message: Message,
       book: Book,
+      chapter: Chapter,
       author: Author
     });
 
@@ -580,3 +588,95 @@ test("Passing a model as type to belongsTo should not work", function () {
     });
   }, /The first argument to DS.belongsTo must be a string/);
 });
+
+test("belongsTo hasData async loaded", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  Book.reopen({
+    author: belongsTo('author', { async: true })
+  });
+
+  env.adapter.find = function(store, type, id, snapshot) {
+    return Ember.RSVP.resolve({ id: 1, name: 'The Greatest Book', author: 2 });
+  };
+
+  run(function() {
+    store.find('book', 1).then(function(book) {
+      var relationship = book._relationships['author'];
+      equal(relationship.hasData, true, 'relationship has data');
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+test("belongsTo hasData sync loaded", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  env.adapter.find = function(store, type, id, snapshot) {
+    return Ember.RSVP.resolve({ id: 1, name: 'The Greatest Book', author: 2 });
+  };
+
+  run(function() {
+    store.find('book', 1).then(function(book) {
+      var relationship = book._relationships['author'];
+      equal(relationship.hasData, true, 'relationship has data');
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+test("belongsTo hasData async not loaded", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  Book.reopen({
+    author: belongsTo('author', { async: true })
+  });
+
+  env.adapter.find = function(store, type, id, snapshot) {
+    return Ember.RSVP.resolve({ id: 1, name: 'The Greatest Book', links: { author: 'author' } });
+  };
+
+  run(function() {
+    store.find('book', 1).then(function(book) {
+      var relationship = book._relationships['author'];
+      equal(relationship.hasData, false, 'relationship does not have data');
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+test("belongsTo hasData sync not loaded", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  env.adapter.find = function(store, type, id, snapshot) {
+    return Ember.RSVP.resolve({ id: 1, name: 'The Greatest Book' });
+  };
+
+  run(function() {
+    store.find('book', 1).then(function(book) {
+      var relationship = book._relationships['author'];
+      equal(relationship.hasData, false, 'relationship does not have data');
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+test("belongsTo hasData async created", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  Book.reopen({
+    author: belongsTo('author', { async: true })
+  });
+
+  run(function() {
+    var book = store.createRecord('book', { name: 'The Greatest Book' });
+    var relationship = book._relationships['author'];
+    equal(relationship.hasData, true, 'relationship has data');
+  });
+});
+
+test("belongsTo hasData sync created", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  run(function() {
+    var book = store.createRecord('book', { name: 'The Greatest Book' });
+    var relationship = book._relationships['author'];
+    equal(relationship.hasData, true, 'relationship has data');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/ember-data/tests/integration/relationships/has-many-test.js b/packages/ember-data/tests/integration/relationships/has-many-test.js
index 74b6b63a263..d61eacb5823 100644
--- a/packages/ember-data/tests/integration/relationships/has-many-test.js
+++ b/packages/ember-data/tests/integration/relationships/has-many-test.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-var env, User, Contact, Email, Phone, Message, Post, Comment;
+var env, store, User, Contact, Email, Phone, Message, Post, Comment;
 var Book, Chapter, Page;
 var get = Ember.get;
 var resolve = Ember.RSVP.resolve;
@@ -80,6 +80,8 @@ module("integration/relationships/has_many - Has-Many Relationships", {
       chapter: Chapter,
       page: Page
     });
+
+    store = env.store;
   },
 
   teardown: function() {
@@ -1312,3 +1314,95 @@ test("adding and removing records from hasMany relationship #2666", function() {
     });
   });
 });
+
+test("hasMany hasData async loaded", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  Chapter.reopen({
+    pages: hasMany('pages', { async: true })
+  });
+
+  env.adapter.find = function(store, type, id, snapshot) {
+    return Ember.RSVP.resolve({ id: 1, title: 'The Story Begins', pages: [2, 3] });
+  };
+
+  run(function() {
+    store.find('chapter', 1).then(function(chapter) {
+      var relationship = chapter._relationships['pages'];
+      equal(relationship.hasData, true, 'relationship has data');
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+test("hasMany hasData sync loaded", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  env.adapter.find = function(store, type, id, snapshot) {
+    return Ember.RSVP.resolve({ id: 1, title: 'The Story Begins', pages: [2, 3] });
+  };
+
+  run(function() {
+    store.find('chapter', 1).then(function(chapter) {
+      var relationship = chapter._relationships['pages'];
+      equal(relationship.hasData, true, 'relationship has data');
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+test("hasMany hasData async not loaded", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  Chapter.reopen({
+    pages: hasMany('pages', { async: true })
+  });
+
+  env.adapter.find = function(store, type, id, snapshot) {
+    return Ember.RSVP.resolve({ id: 1, title: 'The Story Begins', links: { pages: 'pages' } });
+  };
+
+  run(function() {
+    store.find('chapter', 1).then(function(chapter) {
+      var relationship = chapter._relationships['pages'];
+      equal(relationship.hasData, false, 'relationship does not have data');
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+test("hasMany hasData sync not loaded", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  env.adapter.find = function(store, type, id, snapshot) {
+    return Ember.RSVP.resolve({ id: 1, title: 'The Story Begins' });
+  };
+
+  run(function() {
+    store.find('chapter', 1).then(function(chapter) {
+      var relationship = chapter._relationships['pages'];
+      equal(relationship.hasData, false, 'relationship does not have data');
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+test("hasMany hasData async created", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  Chapter.reopen({
+    pages: hasMany('pages', { async: true })
+  });
+
+  run(function() {
+    var chapter = store.createRecord('chapter', { title: 'The Story Begins' });
+    var relationship = chapter._relationships['pages'];
+    equal(relationship.hasData, true, 'relationship has data');
+  });
+});
+
+test("hasMany hasData sync created", function () {
+  expect(1);
+
+  run(function() {
+    var chapter = store.createRecord('chapter', { title: 'The Story Begins' });
+    var relationship = chapter._relationships['pages'];
+    equal(relationship.hasData, true, 'relationship has data');
+  });
+});