System for storing documents in a repository

1. A system for storing documents in a repository, comprising:

a repository;

an interface processor for receiving and storing document data representing a first document and an associated document identifier in said repository; and

a document processor for automatically parsing and processing the received document data to identify and store data in said repository indicating:

(a) internal document structure and characteristics, and

(b) external document relationships comprising data indicating one or more functional types of content inter-relationship between said first document and one or more external documents different to said first document and affecting content of said first document,

said internal document structure and characteristics comprising a compilation of searchable keywords and key values, said external document relationships comprising an association or hierarchical relationship between said first document and the one or more different external documents.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the document processor further receives data from a user indicating:

(a) internal document structure and characteristics, and

(b) external document relationships, and stores said data in said repository and

said data in said repository indicating one or more functional types of content inter-relationship between said first document and one or more external documents indicates at least one of,

(a) said first document content is updated by a particular external document and

(b) said first document content is described by content of a particular external document.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said internal document structure and characteristics comprise data indicating a storage history indicating time and date of document storage or update and

said data in said repository indicating one or more functional types of content inter-relationship between said first document and one or more external documents indicates at least one of,

(a) said first document content is defined by a particular external document and

(b) said first document content is superseded by content of a particular external document.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein said internal document structure and characteristics comprise data indicating a unique name for said document and

said data in said repository indicating one or more functional types of content inter-relationship between said first document and one or more external documents and also indicates a hierarchical relationship between said first document and a particular external document.

5. A system according to claim 3 wherein said internal document structure and characteristics comprise data indicating a display name for said document.

6. A system according to claim 3 wherein said internal document structure further comprises data indicating a keyword and associated key value related to the document.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein the keyword is unique among the documents in the repository.

8. A system according to claim 6 wherein the keyword is not unique among the documents in the repository.

9. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said external document relationships comprise data indicating time and date of storage of data indicating a relationship or update of data indicating a relationship.

10. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said document processor, in response to a received query, dynamically generates a virtual table comprising results of the query.

11. A system according to claim 10 , wherein said data indicating a relationship to said one or more different documents comprises data identifying an array of one or more different documents in said system.

12. A system according to claim 10 wherein said data indicating a relationship to said one or more different documents comprises data identifying the received document as well as data identifying one of said one or more different documents and data identifying the relationship between said received document and said one of said one or more different documents.

13. A system according to claim 12 wherein said data identifying said received document and said data identifying said one of said one or more different documents comprises said associated document identifier.

14. A system according to claim 12 wherein said data identifying said received document and said data identifying said one of said one or more documents comprises a unique name for said document.

15. A system according to claim 12 wherein said data identifying said one of said one or more documents comprises a keyword and key value for said one of said one or more different documents.

16. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said document processor, determines from said data in said repository that said first document is referred to by one or more external documents and prevents deletion of said first document.

17. A system according to claim 15 wherein said data indicating internal document structure and characteristics and external document relationships is specified in respective XML tags in the received document.

18. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said documents are in markup language data format and at least one of (a) XML, (b) SGML and (c) HTML.

19. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said received documents include attached binary data objects, representing a feature in the received document, automatically processed by said document processor together with said received documents.

20. A system according to claim 19 , wherein said attached binary data objects comprising at least one of (a) JPEG; and (b) PDF documents automatically processed by said document processor together with said received documents.

21. A method for storing documents in a repository, comprising:

receiving data representing a document;

storing the received data in the repository;

automatically parsing and processing the data representing the received document to identify and store data indicating: (a) internal document structure, and (b) external document relationships comprising data indicating one or more functional types of content inter-relationship between said first document and one or more external documents different to said first document and affecting content of said first document, wherein the internal document structure and characteristics include a compilation of searchable keywords and words accessed by a second document different from the first document and the external document relationships include an association or hierarchical relationship between the first document and a third different document.