26. A method utilizing a computer for executing instructions stored on a computer readable medium having software code embodied therein for managing information, the software code comprising computer-executable instructions for: extracting data from at least two data sources, a first backup tape data source and a second networked data source; determining email files within the original data; extracting information from the email files using an email extraction engine; forwarding the information extracted from the email files to a de-duplication engine; separating the information extracted from the email files and other original data in content portions and metadata portions; analyzing the content portions; placing, into a collective database, a single copy of unique content portions; and placing, into a collective database, at least one copy of the metadata portions including information regarding from where the files were obtained; from a user of the computer system, receiving at least one rule, including: a retention policy for the data; and a query for the data, wherein the query is other than a search for duplicate portions of the data; using the rule, identifying: compliant data that comply with the retention policy; and targeted data that correspond to the query; storing the targeted data in a persistent memory source; and using the rule, preserving the compliant data and the targeted data within the database, while deleting at least a portion of other data that are neither compliant data nor targeted data within the database.
31. The method of claim 26 , wherein the data include files having content portions and metadata portions, and wherein the files can be different file types, and wherein the software code further comprises at least one instruction for, prior to collecting the data within the database: analyzing the content portions; placing, into the database, less than the total number of copies of unique content portions per file type; and placing, into the database, at least one copy of the metadata portions including information regarding from where the files were obtained.