An apparatus, system, and method for providing command manager support for pluggable data formats. The present invention accepts arbitrary hierarchical input data structures even when the hierarchical input data structure represents hierarchical data in a structure independent of a specific type of data repository. A data mediator receives a hierarchical input data structure and determines whether if it is a snapshot structure or a delta structure. If it is a snapshot update, the command manager creates an in-memory map object structure populated with values from a data repository and compares it with the snapshot. Based on the comparison, it generates a DESPI hierarchical command structure in a format-specific mediation module, and the commands are executed in the data repository. If the hierarchical input data structure is a delta structure, the command manager generates a hierarchical command structure and then translates it to a DESPI-compliant command structure. The commands are then executed in the data repository.