Patent ID: 7584207

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of customizing metadata in a software system, comprising: receiving a customization specification identifying a desired customization to the metadata wherein the metadata is represented by a metadata tree structure having leaves with values indicative of metadata values; identifying a first metadata value to be customized in a metadata store based on the specification, wherein identifying the first metadata value comprises identifying a leaf in the metadata tree structure that is to be customized based on the customization specification; storing a separate delta value, in a data store that is separate from the metadata store that includes the identified first metadata value, the delta value being a customization value representing the desired customization for the identified, first metadata value; and customizing using a processor of the computer, the first metadata value with the delta value based on the customization specification, wherein customizing the first metadata value comprises retrieving the delta value when accessing the first metadata value, without changing the first metadata value in the metadata store.