34. A system for mapping hierarchical data from a relational table comprising: a schema stored in a memory for a hierarchical data structure wherein the schema defines a hierarchical relationship of data elements; processing means coupled to said memory for identifying from the schema a node within the hierarchical data structure corresponding to a column in the relational table; and processing means for copying a data value from the relational table to the hierarchical data structure wherein the first data value is selected from the relational table in a sort order specified by the schema.
34. A system for mapping hierarchical data from a relational table comprising: a schema stored in a memory for a hierarchical data structure wherein the schema defines a hierarchical relationship of data elements; processing means coupled to said memory for identifying from the schema a node within the hierarchical data structure corresponding to a column in the relational table; and processing means for copying a data value from the relational table to the hierarchical data structure wherein the first data value is selected from the relational table in a sort order specified by the schema. 36. The system as recited in claim 34 wherein the relational table comprises a table in a structured query language (SQL) database.