1. A database management system for a logical database comprised of data records organized into tables that is to be accessed from multiple transactional nodes that process transactions related to the logical data base, said system comprising: A) means for parsing the database into a plurality of fragments wherein each fragment corresponds to a different metadata and/or data element pertaining to the logical data base and collectively the fragments define all the metadata and data in the database management system, B) means for transferring a copy of a fragment within the database management system as a serialized message and for storing a copy of a fragment as a de-serialized message, C) at least one archival node that stores a copy of all the fragments in a de-serialized form in persistent storage thereby to constitute a single store for the metadata and data for the entire data-base, and D) each transactional node comprises: i) means for responding to queries from users connected to said transactional node by establishing a sequence of low-level commands for identifying fragments that are relevant to the query, ii) means for responding to the low-level commands by obtaining copies of only those fragments that are relevant to the query being processed thereat whereby a copy of a given fragment is stored at an archival node and other copies of that fragment might exist at another transactional node, and iii) means for replicating any change to a copy of a fragment in the at least one archival node and in each transactional node in which a copy of that fragment resides whereby changes in response to a query made to a fragment at one transactional node are replicated in other nodes with a copy of that fragment on a peer-to-peer basis and whereby any transactional node only contains copies of those fragments that pertain to the queries being made for users accessing the data base through that transactional node.