As the number of data files generated in everyday work and leisure situations increases, the importance of having a proper framework for indexing, searching and archiving these data also increases. Metadata have the potential to vastly improve the accessibility of stored data, and Microsoft, who has designed WinFs in response to this need, has recognized this. For applications where metadata are required in the near term, storing metadata in XML files at the directory level is a good compromise between complexity of development and inherent coupling between metadata and the corresponding content data files.