1. A system to synchronize metadata for a plurality of applications comprising: content administration rules programmed to define policies for updating metadata in a master database and policies for propagating updates of the metadata in the master database to the plurality of applications, the metadata describing at least one asset represented as data residing in at least one of the plurality of applications; and a rules engine that is programmed to apply at least a first set of the content administration rules to a metadata record received from a first application of the plurality of applications to control updating corresponding metadata stored in the master database, changes in the corresponding metadata made to the master database being propagated to at least one second application of the plurality of applications according to a second set of the content administration rules that is predefined for each of the at least one second application.