1. A method for managing access to data in a database, the database residing on a computer system, the computer system including a server system and one or more client systems, the method comprising the steps: when a user signs on to the computer system from one of the one or more client systems, verifying the user by the steps including: identifying the user; and associating a profile with the user, wherein the profile is unique to the user and contains meta data providing for the user a plurality of programmable views of and mappings to elements of the database, the profile residing on the server system; retrieving a subset of the meta data according to the profile; modifying an interface for the user in an application executing on the client based on the subset of the meta data; generating a data request based on the subset of the meta data; translating the data request on the client system according to the contents of the profile; creating a data results set on the server system by servicing the translated data request on the server system; translating the data results set on the client system according to the contents of the profile to generate a translated data results set; and displaying the translated data results set on a display device of the client system.