System and method for managing objects and resources with access rights embedded in nodes within a hierarchical tree structure

A system for providing information to users selectively according to predetermined access rights, the system comprising:

• a database of records, the records being hierarchically organized into elements, at least some of the elements comprising access rights information;
• an entitlement server comprising a membership map describing user membership in access groups;
• and
• a transaction server that consults the database and the entitlement server and serves information to users in response to requests only if users are allowed to access the information, said transaction server processing a received document including one or more of said elements wherein said access rights information is included as an attribute in a definition for each of said at least some of the elements in said received document, wherein said transaction server includes an interpreter which passes a first portion of a submitted document corresponding to first access rights information to said entitlement server, and a second portion of said submitted document corresponding to text information of a first data element associated with said first access rights information, access to said text information being granted to a requestor in accordance with said first access rights.