A method to expose information about a set of data objects to a master device is provided. A benchmark sequence indicator is used in connection with a set of sequence indicators that are each related to data objects (such as media files on a device) to satisfy multiple independent requests for information about certain objects that satisfy sequence criteria conveyed from multiple requesting applications. An embodied data structure includes a set of properties associated with a data object as well as a sequence-identification field that also corresponds to the data object and that is populated with an object sequence indicator that indicates when a change occurred to the data object.