Abstract: Provided are a method and system for locating data stored within an environment having multiple interconnected computing systems. The method and system achieve their objects via the following actions. A superset of one or more elements comprised of data location identifiers and associated data attributes is created. A list of data attributes is received. In response to said received list of data attributes, any data location identifiers, within said created superset, which have the data attributes in the list, are transmitted. In one embodiment, the superset elements consist of object identifiers paired with the computing system wherein the objects associated with the object identifiers are located, the list of data attributes contains a list of object attributes, and the data location identifiers transmitted consist of an object identifier paired with a computing location.

Abstract: A request for determining a unique object identifier for an object located somewhere within a plurality of data processing systems in a network may be received from an application by a single data processing in the network. A local object index containing object attribute records is searched for matches with specified input criteria and any matches are identified. A local search list is then consulted and, if other object indexes require searching, the request is forwarded to the next object index on the list together with an indication of the object index or indexes already searched. The inclusion of an indication of indexes already searched prevents a loop-back condition from occurring. As each object index is searched, the search list is consulted and, if additional object indexes remain to be searched, the request is propagated to the next object index and the results of searching a local object index are returned to an originating data processing system.