Abstract: An on-line records identification system for users in a multiple-level hierarchy. The system provides a record origin identifier associated with each record, wherein a unique record origin identifier is assigned to each original record. Also provided is a relative identifier associated with each record of a single user at a single level of the hierarchy, wherein a unique relative identifier is assigned to each original record. Further provided are means for transmitting a record from a user at a first level of the hierarchy to a user at a second level of the hierarchy and means for translating the relative identifier associated with the record at the first level to a relative identifier associated with the record at the second level. The on-line records identification scheme is well-suited for a client-server architecture that has separate processing and storage capability at each level of the hierarchy.