Storage of application specific profiles correlating to document versions

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one storage management module,

wherein the at least one storage management module is configured to manage storage of application specific profiles and corresponding files among multiple storage media; and

wherein the at least one storage management module stores the application specific profile in a separate location from the corresponding file; and

a processor for operating a software application,

wherein the software application generates an application specific profile each time a corresponding file is saved,

wherein the application specific profile includes most recent application settings used during editing of the corresponding file, and

wherein the software application loads the application settings from the application specific profile while opening the corresponding file.

2. The application specific profile storage and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the multiple storage media is located locally.

3. The application specific profile storage and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the multiple storage media is located remotely.

4. The application specific profile storage and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the at least one storage management module distributes stored files and corresponding profiles among the multiple storage media according to predetermined patterns, and wherein at least one of the predetermined patterns enables retrieval of the file's corresponding application specific profile before retrieval of the file by the software application.

5. The application specific profile storage and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the application specific profiles that are stored among the multiple storage media comprise different application specific profiles for different versions of a corresponding file.

6. The application specific profile storage and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the at least one storage management module provides concurrent access of the application specific profile and the file.

7. The application specific profile storage and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the application specific profile is retrieved prior to the file and sets up the software application in preparation for receipt of the file.

8. The application specific profile storage and retrieval system of claim 1 wherein the at least one storage management module is further configured to retrieve the application specific profile before the corresponding file.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for a method for data storage and retrieval in a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving an application specific profile corresponding to a version of a file to be saved;

determining an appropriate location in the computer system for storage of the file and the accompanying application specific profile;

storing the file at a first location in the computer system;

storing the application specific profile at a second location in the computer system,

wherein the second location is different from the first location;

receiving a request for retrieval of the file,

wherein retrieval of the file and the application specific profile is as though the file and its application specific profile were located in a single location,

wherein the application specific profile is retrieved concurrently with the request for retrieval of the file, and

wherein the application is set UP while the file is being retrieved;

providing the requested file;

providing the application specific profile before display of the filed,

wherein the software application generates the application specific profile each time the corresponding file is saved,

wherein the application specific profile includes the most recent application settings used during editing of the corresponding file, and

wherein the application settings included in an application specific profile are applicable to multiple files edited by the same application; and

applying storage policies to each of the application specific profiles and the corresponding files based on multiple factors including a type of user and a type of application.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the file is created by a software application selected from the group consisting of a word processor, an engineering graphics program, a standard graphics program, a database, and a web browser.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein a different profile is stored with the storage of each version of the file as the file is created.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein a storage management module distributes different files and file versions in a first set of storage media and stores different application specific profiles for each of the files and versions of the files in a second set of storage media.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the application specific profile is used by a software application for at least the purpose of preparing the software application to display the file upon its retrieval by the software application, wherein a new profile is created at least each time the file is saved.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , further comprising:

sending the file, with the software application, to a storage management module that manages storage of the file and storage of the application specific profile.