The choice of coding systems for complex text structures depends on numerous relevant criteria. In most cases the choice of an SGML or XML based coding system will meet these criteria. The data can be managed with the help of database management systems. For this purpose the text objects and relations have to be mapped onto the expressive means of the database type chosen. It depends strongly on the way the documents are structured and on the way the data will be used, which kind of database modelling is most adequate for retrieval and maintenance purposes.