6. A system for mapping hierarchical data from a relational table comprising: a schema for a hierarchical data structure wherein the schema defines a hierarchical relationship of data elements; processing means for identifying from the schema a node within the hierarchical data structure corresponding to a column in the relational table; processing means for determining that an element of the data elements in the schema is associated with an indicator that specifies the element as a hidden element; processing means for copying data from the relational table to the hierarchical data structure, wherein the copied data excludes the hidden element; and processing means for storing the hierarchical data structure that includes the copied data in a computer-readable storage medium.
6. A system for mapping hierarchical data from a relational table comprising: a schema for a hierarchical data structure wherein the schema defines a hierarchical relationship of data elements; processing means for identifying from the schema a node within the hierarchical data structure corresponding to a column in the relational table; processing means for determining that an element of the data elements in the schema is associated with an indicator that specifies the element as a hidden element; processing means for copying data from the relational table to the hierarchical data structure, wherein the copied data excludes the hidden element; and processing means for storing the hierarchical data structure that includes the copied data in a computer-readable storage medium. 10. The system as recited in claim 6 wherein the copying act is performed in response to an XPath query.