Patent ID: 8195688

Claim:
A computer-accessible storage medium storing program instructions executable to: receive a data object to be stored in a single-instance storage system; determine that the data object includes a template filled in with one or more values; deconstruct the data object into the template and the one or more values; determine whether the template is already stored in the single-instance storage system, wherein the program instructions are executable to store the template in the single-instance storage system if the template is not already stored in the single-instance storage system, wherein the program instructions are executable to determine that the template does not need to be re-stored in the single-instance storage system if the template is already stored in the single-instance storage system; for each respective value of the one or more values, determine whether the respective value is already stored in the single-instance storage system, wherein the program instructions are executable to store the respective value in the single-instance storage system if the respective value is not already stored in the single-instance storage system, wherein the program instructions are executable to determine that the respective value does not need to be re-stored in the single-instance storage system if the respective value is already stored in the single-instance storage system; and store reconstruction information useable to reconstruct the data object, wherein the reconstruction information references the template and the one or more values in the single-instance storage system.