METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STORING DATA AS OBJECTS, CONSTRUCTING CUSTOMIZED DATA RETRIEVAL AND DATA PROCESSING REQUESTS, AND PERFORMING HOUSEHOLDING QUERIES

Compressed data objects are stored in a remote data store and are accessible to end users for data retrieval and processing. Descriptive information about data objects and processing logic is displayed and made available for viewing and access by end users having a client application which manipulates the descriptive information to create a customized data retrieval and processing request. The request can be submitted to several data stores in succession for automated data retrieval and processing without jeopardizing request security. The final request is submitted to the appropriate data store(s) and/or vendor(s) for automated processing in accordance with the customized instructions, and the data result set is returned in a format specified by the end user. Householding capability and security features are available. End users can customize their householding parameters, including end user specifications to improve flexibility, speed, and efficiency of the householding process.