Methods for processing data to be recorded to optical media are provided. In one example, a method includes receiving a request to record data to optical media. The method then maps a source path for the data from a root directory through any intervening parent directories to the file location of the data, and saves the source path in a database. When saving the source path to the database, node identifiers are used to represent individual nodes of the source path with corresponding keys to the node identifiers saved in a path table. The method further provides for the complete source path for each file of the data to be recorded to be retrieved in one step when processing and recording the data.