A client identifier (ID) and a client-specific data field identifier for each item of client-specific data associated with a first client of a set of clients are received at a processor associated with a software as a service (SaaS) module. An extensible markup language (XML) formatted document for storing the client-specific data, including a set of client-specific data elements, each element referenced by one of the client-specific data field identifiers, is created for the first client. The XML formatted document is inserted into an XML formatted column of a row in a database table, where the database table is shared among a set of clients and stored in a shared database. The client ID is inserted into a structured query language (SQL) formatted data column of the row in the database table.