Method and apparatus for managing multiple versions of a document in a large document repository memory

In a depot storage of large dimension a single logical view of multiple versions of the same data is presented. In order to determine which versions of data are equivalent, without comparing each pair of entries in the database, the database entries with a clustering algorithm to cluster together, and then comparisons between entries are made only between the entries in each cluster. If it has been determined from a set of entries that they are equivalent to a combined master entry is constructed from the entries in the set that comprise the preferred metadata, and the combined master entry is provided for search and display to a user ,