1. A method to determine characteristics of sets of organized items comprising: identifying a first set of organized items as a compare-from location; identifying a second set of organized items as a compare-to location; determining a recursive intrinsic reference representing the first set of organized items, wherein the recursive intrinsic reference is an intrinsic reference to an item containing a second intrinsic reference; and determining a discrepancy between the first set of organized items and the second set of organized items using the recursive intrinsic reference.