8. A computer-implemented method for managing data, comprising: identifying one or more data sources collectively comprising a plurality of data objects; identifying a perspective out of a plurality of different available perspectives, wherein each of the plurality of different available perspectives defines a particular structure for selecting and determining metadata for describing the data sources; associating a selected one of a plurality of different metadata schemas with the data sources, each of the different metadata schemas having respectively distinct sets of terminology for describing data; automatically producing metadata for each of the data objects using the selected metadata schema; automatically producing a perspective-based metadata description of the data sources, wherein the production of the perspective-based metadata includes analytically categorizing and selecting metadata produced according to the selected metadata schema into a particularly categorized and selected set of the metadata according to the perspective, thereby providing a top-down, conceptual hierarchy of properties and meanings of data objects in the data sources; displaying a graphic visualization of the produced particularly organized and selected set of metadata; and creating a document which includes both the metadata and corresponding indicators to the data objects in the data sources.
19. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of data objects comprise electronic documents.