1. A method of storing a data element, comprising: generating a representation structure including a data portion for storing a data element, a reference counter field for storing a reference counter indicating a number of wrapper structures referencing the representation structure, and an identifier field for storing an identifier identifying the data element, wherein the wrapper structure is an object; storing a data element in the data portion of the representation structure; and storing an identifier identifying the data element in the identifier field of the representation structure, wherein the identifier is independent of a memory location of the data element.
1. A method of storing a data element, comprising: generating a representation structure including a data portion for storing a data element, a reference counter field for storing a reference counter indicating a number of wrapper structures referencing the representation structure, and an identifier field for storing an identifier identifying the data element, wherein the wrapper structure is an object; storing a data element in the data portion of the representation structure; and storing an identifier identifying the data element in the identifier field of the representation structure, wherein the identifier is independent of a memory location of the data element. 2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the identifier is not a function of the data element that is stored in the data portion of the representation structure.