MAINTAINING DOCUMENT IDENTITY ACROSS HIERARCHY AND NON-HIERARCHY FILE SYSTEMS

A mechanism and method for translating between two incompatible document management systems whereby the identity of a document is maintained. The mechanism and method allows for the maintaining of information related to an original document to reconstruct the original document which was deleted. The maintained information including name information, location information and characteristic information. The characteristic information being properties which are attached to a document in a document management system which separates the content from properties of the document.