XML ZyIMAGE is based upon an open-source XML framework. This document storage framework enables the creation of self-contained document collections. Documents are stored in their original format (paper, electronic or e-mail) and meta data is stored in a native XML database, one XML file per document. The advantage is that XML offers a sustainable and enduring file format while offering a document-centered approach in which the format of the meta data can be determined per document. This framework can be split into three different XML application types: - Data storage in XML - Scanned data is stored in open-source formats such as XML and TIFF - E-mail messages, plus the original message text and attachments, can be exported from   applications (such as MS Outlook) in XML files. - Application data such as MS Word can be stored as XML files linked to the original   documents.   - Interface design in XML Several parts of the ZyIMAGE and ZyIMAGE Webserver products use XML technology in the interface, allowing for easy customer customizations.   - Inter-process communication in XML By using the ZyIMAGE Application Integrator, you can also drive the ZyIMAGE Webserver with XML commands from other processes. Recently, ZyLAB started developing new application such as the Record Management module in Microsoft .NET, which is fully based upon XML for inter-process communication and interface design.   ZyLAB has designed an additional XML format for paper, electronic and e-mail files In order to generate a universal key-field structure for all your scanned paper and electronic file formats, ZyLAB designed an additional XML format for electronic and e-mail files. This format will connect all electronic files (in Word, Excel, PDF, WAV, MPG, and so on) to an XML file that contains the key field information for these files. Therefore, you can give all your electronic files and e-mail messages the same key-field structure as your scanned paper documents. If manual index fields were created for an electronic file or e-mail message stored in the ZyLAB Archive, the XML Wrapper module will generate an XML file for those specific files.