Patent ID: 7475107

Claim:
A method for configuring a data management system, the data management system comprising a plurality of computers storing a plurality of records thereon, wherein the method comprises: generating a graphical user interface for displaying a set of expressions that are graphically representative of a plurality of computer implemented functions for applying a unified record management policy to a network of computers, said functions comprising a process, a portion of a process, and at least one linking object that allows a user to graphically link the expressions, wherein a subset of the expressions are representative of a plurality of objects of the data management system, wherein the set of expressions allows the receipt of properties associated with the objects, and wherein the graphical user interface enables a user to: select expressions from the set of expressions; graphically arrange the selected expressions on a display unit with one or more linking objects that graphically link the selected expressions to create a desired workflow that defines a path in which data is processed, and configure the selected expressions to create a set of configured expressions that implement a unified record management policy for scheduled maintenance, transfer and deletion of data on a network of computers; communicating the graphical user interface to a display unit; receiving the set of configured expressions representative of the plurality of computer implemented functions that implement the unified record management policy; generating a mobile agent having executable code configured in accordance to the set of configured expressions; and communicating the mobile agent to at least one resource computer different from the computer on which the mobile agent was generated, for execution of the code, wherein the execution of the code implements the unified record management policy on the at least one resource computer receiving the mobile agent.