A distributed system includes client- and server-side components that, together, allow XML schemas or the like to be managed in a collaborative way across an enterprise environment. The server-side component, or server, is used to assemble a collection of one or more schemas. The server exposes the collection of schemas to one or more client components that connect to the server. Such connections may be made over a computer network. The client component preferably exports a display interface through which a user can visualize dependencies between schemas, e.g., by dragging them into a workspace and viewing all related schemas and how they are connected, as well as what elements and other components they define. In this way, the client component provides a high-level view of a larger (e.g., enterprise-wide) information architecture.