Identifying changing "stuff" in the real world is for me a fundamental topic of any serious data modeling for any kind of software (be it an API, a traditional database stuff, etc). Identity is also at the center of the entity concept of Domain-Driven Design (see the seminal book of Eric Evans on that: https://www.amazon.com/Domain-Driven-Design-Tackling-Complex...).

I started changing my way of looking at identity by reading the rationale of clojure (https://clojure.org/about/state#_working_models_and_identity) -> "Identities are mental tools we use to superimpose continuity on a world which is constantly, functionally, creating new values of itself."

The timeless book "Data and reality" is also priceless: https://www.amazon.com/Data-Reality-Perspective-Perceiving-I....

More specifically concerning the article, I do agree with the point of view of the author distinguishing access by identifier and hierarchical compound name better represented as a search. On the id stuff, I find the amazon approach of using URN (in summary: a namespaced identifier) very appealing: http://philcalcado.com/2017/03/22/pattern_using_seudo-uris_w.... And of course, performance matters concerning IDs and UUID: https://tomharrisonjr.com/uuid-or-guid-as-primary-keys-be-ca....

Happy data modeling :)

EDIT: - add an excerpt from the clojure rationale

Has anyone read the book the quote came from, "Data and Reality"? It looks intriguing.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935504215/