A technique is disclosed in the context of a communications system whereby
parties accessible through the system may be referenced by multiple
alternative symbolic names. User profile information for a given party
may be maintained in the system to control features and routing behavior
in response to session request involing the party. By virtue of a mapping
capability, one or more symbolic names may be associated with the same
user profile information. A session request involving any of the
alternative names for a party will evoke the same user profile.