when rich data is tunneled , its associated link identified by a primary data reference is changed by swapping primary references of original data with changed data . thus , without duplicating the rich data , it is now associated with the changed data , preserving it in constant time . the primary references can include , but are not limited to , names and / or other item identifications . this technique allows preservation of rich data to occur without burdening processing and / or time constraints based on the size and / or number of rich data elements . the technique also allows disparate applications and / or systems to maintain data integrity even when rich data is not expected for a given application and / or system . since the rich data follows a primary reference , awareness of the rich data is not required for it to be properly handled , ensuring its integrity .