A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and data structure for use in efficiently generating sequence numbers in a multi-system data-sharing environment. Sequence number assignment logic, performed by a computer system, generates a recoverable, unique sequence number for assignment to an application, wherein the sequence number is contained in a control page stored in a database on a data storage device coupled to the computer system and shared with other computer systems, and updates to the control page are serialized across all of the computer systems.