Embodiments are directed towards managing and tracking item identification of a plurality of items to determine if an item is a new or existing item, where an existing item has been previously processed. In some embodiments, two or more item identifiers may be generated. In one embodiment, generating the two or more item identifiers may include analyzing the item using a small item size characteristic, a compressed item, or for an identifier collision. The two or more item identifiers may be employed to determine if the item is a new or existing item. In one embodiment, the two or more item identifiers may be compared to a record about an existing item to determine if the item is a new or existing item. If the item is an existing item, then the item may be further processed to determine if the existing item has actually changed.