Abstract: A Data Management System has a plurality of data managers and is of a layered architecture. The system performs with a data manager and with a user input via an API a plurality of process on data residing in heterogeneous data repositories of said computer system including promotion, check-in, check-out, locking, library searching, setting and viewing process results, tracking aggregations, and managing parts, releases and problem fix data under management control of a virtual control repository having one or more physical heterogeneous repositories. The system provides for storing, accessing, tracking data residing in said one or more data repositories managed by the virtual control repository. User Interfaces provide a combination of command line, scripts, GUI, Menu, Web Browser, and other interactive means which maps the user's view to a PFVL paradigm. Configurable Managers include a query control repository for existence of peer managers and provide logic switches to dynamically interact with peers.

Abstract: A method for use with a data management system (DMS) enabling a directory service such as the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and Microsoft's Active Directory to interact with centralized DMS employs a single access application at a user API interface at one or more application layers of the data management system to map transactions for access appropriate to a heterogeneous physical implementation of data storage managed by a virtual control repository used in the DMS. Data objects are classified according to a PFVL Paradigm according to Package, Filetype, Variance and Level as a model for storage of data object in separate DMS storage and directory service storage. Objects in the directory service storage are managed to direct a request in a manner appropriate to the request to a directory service server or if not appropriate to the directory service, to one or more DMS processing managers.

Abstract: A common access method is disclosed to enable disparate pervasive computing devices to interact with centralized data management systems. A modular, scalable data management system is envisioned to further expand the role of the pervasive devices as direct participants in the data management system. This data management system has a plurality of data managers and is provided with a plurality of data managers in one or more layers of a layered architecture. The system performs with a data manager and with a input from a user or pervasive computing device via an API a plurality of process on data residing in heterogeneous data repositories of computer system including promotion, check-in, check-out, locking, library searching, setting and viewing process results, tracking aggregations, and managing parts, releases and problem fix data under management control of a virtual control repository having one or more physical heterogeneous repositories.