Systems and methods for retrieving data

Abstract

A system and method for obtaining information responsive to a legal discovery request directed at an enterprise having a plurality of databases that potentially include information responsive to the legal discovery request, including structured databases and at least one unstructured database. A plurality of taxonomies are provided, each of which describes a structure of one of the structured databases. An ontology is provided that describes data relationships between the databases. A native application is identified, which is configured to access at least one but not all of the databases associated with the enterprise. The native application is modified to include search functionality for accessing all of the databases associated with the enterprise. A request is received from the user, via the modified native application, to search the plurality of databases associated with the enterprise for information responsive to the legal discovery request. Information included in the request, the ontology and the taxonomies are then used to search the plurality of databases associated with the enterprise. A list of search results responsive to the search request is presented with the modified native application. In response to a user selection of a search result from the list, an application required to view the selected search result is automatically launched if the modified native application lacks functionality required to display the selected search result.

1 . In a software application that is currently available in a current version and which was previously available in an old version, wherein the current version of the software stores data in a current data storage format and the old version of the software previously stored in an old data storage format which is different from the current data storage format, a data metamorphosis method that supports usage of data stored in the old data storage format with the current version of the software, the method comprising:
 (a) providing an XML definition for each of a plurality of object classes used to store data in the old data storage format and the new data storage format;   (b) providing data format rules for each XML definition; and   (c) when the current version of the software recalls data in the old data storage format, using at least some of the XML definitions and format rules to dynamically convert the data in the old storage format to the current data storage format, thereby allowing usage of the data in the old storage format by the current version of the software.   
     
     
         2 . In a software application that is currently available in a current version and which was previously available in an old version, wherein the current version of the software stores data in a current data storage format and the old version of the software previously stored in an old data storage format which is different from the current data storage format, a data metamorphosis system that supports usage of data stored in the old data storage format with the current version of the software, the system comprising:
 (a) at least one repository that stores an XML definition for each of a plurality of object classes used to store data in the old data storage format and the new data storage format and data format rules for each XML definition; and   (b) a software agent, coupled to the at least one repository, that uses at least some of the XML definitions and format rules to dynamically convert the data in the old storage format to the current data storage format when the current version of the software recalls data in the old data storage format, thereby allowing usage of the data in the old storage format by the current version of the software.