39. A method of executing operations based 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 different data sources, wherein the extracted data include files having content portions and associated metadata portions; 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; storing unique content portions in a collective database; storing the metadata portions in the collective database including information linking the metadata portions to their associated content portions; 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; and using the rule, preserving the compliant data and the targeted data within the collective database, while deleting at least a portion of other data that are neither compliant data nor targeted data within the collective database.
39. A method of executing operations based 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 different data sources, wherein the extracted data include files having content portions and associated metadata portions; 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; storing unique content portions in a collective database; storing the metadata portions in the collective database including information linking the metadata portions to their associated content portions; 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; and using the rule, preserving the compliant data and the targeted data within the collective database, while deleting at least a portion of other data that are neither compliant data nor targeted data within the collective database. 44. The method of claim 39 , wherein the data source comprises at least two data sources, wherein a first data source is one or more backup tapes and a second data source is the networked database, and wherein the software code further comprises at least one instruction for deleting the other data from the network.