diff --git a/lib/src/node.rs b/lib/src/node.rs
index a87cc22..67fc470 100644
--- a/lib/src/node.rs
+++ b/lib/src/node.rs
@@ -206,8 +206,17 @@ impl Node {
     }
 
     pub fn create_hierarchy(&mut self, path: &str) -> &mut Node {
+        self.create_hierarchy_from_iter(path.split("."))
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn create_hierarchy_from_iter<S, I>(&mut self, path: I) -> &mut Node
+    where
+        I: IntoIterator<Item = S>,
+        S: AsRef<str>,
+    {
         let mut ptr = self;
-        for name in path.split('.') {
+        for name in path {
+            let name = name.as_ref();
             if ptr.get(name).is_none() {
                 ptr.add(Node::section(name));
             }
@@ -218,19 +227,6 @@ impl Node {
         ptr
     }
 
-    pub fn create_record_hierarchy(&mut self, path: &str) -> &mut Node {
-        match path.split_once(".") {
-            Some((record, hierarchy)) => {
-                if self.get(record).is_none() {
-                    self.add(Node::record(record));
-                }
-                let record_node = self.get_mut(record).expect("Record node should be present");
-                record_node.create_hierarchy(hierarchy)
-            }
-            None => self.create_hierarchy(path),
-        }
-    }
-
     /// Returns an iterator over the node's children. The children nodes are sorted alphabetically.
     ///
     /// # Examples
diff --git a/lib/src/record/decode.rs b/lib/src/record/decode.rs
index 8c578e5..bf80f2c 100644
--- a/lib/src/record/decode.rs
+++ b/lib/src/record/decode.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ use crate::header::record_types;
 use crate::node::Node;
 use crate::node::NodeType;
 #[cfg(not(feature = "std"))]
-use alloc::{str, string::String, vec::Vec};
+use alloc::{borrow::ToOwned, str, string::String, vec::Vec};
 use log::debug;
 #[cfg(feature = "std")]
 use std::str;
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ impl Record {
 
         let csv = str::from_utf8(layout)?;
         let mut columns = Vec::new();
+        let mut current_path = Vec::new();
 
         for (i, line) in csv.lines().enumerate() {
             if i == 0 {
@@ -85,7 +86,32 @@ impl Record {
             if entry.name.is_empty() {
                 continue;
             }
-            let node = record_root.create_record_hierarchy(&entry.name);
+
+            let mut segments = entry.name.split(".");
+            let Some(top) = segments.next() else {
+                continue;
+            };
+
+            if !top.is_empty() {
+                // Absolute path
+                current_path.clear();
+                current_path.push(top.to_owned());
+
+                if record_root.get(top).is_none() {
+                    // Top-level is assumed to be the record name
+                    record_root.add(Node::record(top));
+                }
+            }
+
+            for segment in segments {
+                if segment.is_empty() {
+                    let _ = current_path.pop();
+                } else {
+                    current_path.push(segment.to_owned());
+                }
+            }
+
+            let node = record_root.create_hierarchy_from_iter(&current_path);
             node.description = entry.description;
             if let Some(value) = self.read_field(offset * 8 + entry.offset, entry.size) {
                 node.kind = NodeType::Field { value }
diff --git a/lib/tests/node.rs b/lib/tests/node.rs
index 5a659ec..d36d12a 100644
--- a/lib/tests/node.rs
+++ b/lib/tests/node.rs
@@ -89,11 +89,13 @@ fn merge() {
 #[test]
 fn merge_record() {
     let mut root0 = Node::root();
-    root0.create_record_hierarchy("foo.bar.reg0");
+    root0.add(Node::record("foo"));
+    root0.create_hierarchy("foo.bar.reg0");
     root0.create_hierarchy("some.bar.reg1");
 
     let mut root1 = Node::root();
-    root1.create_record_hierarchy("foo.bar.reg1");
+    root1.add(Node::record("foo"));
+    root1.create_hierarchy("foo.bar.reg1");
 
     root0.merge(root1);
 
diff --git a/lib/tests/record.rs b/lib/tests/record.rs
index 2475f9a..d8b4523 100644
--- a/lib/tests/record.rs
+++ b/lib/tests/record.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ foo.bar;4;8;;0";
 
     let root = record.decode_with_csv(csv.as_bytes(), 0).unwrap();
     let section = root.get_by_path("foo").unwrap();
-    assert_eq!(section.kind, NodeType::Section);
+    assert_eq!(section.kind, NodeType::Record);
     let field = root.get_by_path("foo.bar").unwrap();
     assert_eq!(field.kind, NodeType::Field { value: 0x18 });
     let field = root.get_by_path("foo.bar.baz").unwrap();
@@ -36,6 +36,42 @@ foo.bar;4;8;;0";
     );
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn relative_paths() {
+    let record = Record {
+        header: Header::default(),
+        data: vec![
+            0x80, 0x81, 0x82, 0x83, 0x84, 0x85, 0x86, 0x87, 0x88, 0x89, 0x8A, 0x8B, 0x8C, 0x8D,
+            0x8E, 0x8F,
+        ],
+    };
+
+    let csv = "name;offset;size;description;bitfield
+foo;0;128;;0
+.aaa;8;8;;0
+.bbb;16;8;;0
+..ccc;24;8;;0
+foo.ddd.eee;32;8;;0
+...ddd;40;8;;0
+..fff;48;8;;0";
+
+    let root = record.decode_with_csv(csv.as_bytes(), 0).unwrap();
+    let section = root.get_by_path("foo").unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(section.kind, NodeType::Record);
+    let field = root.get_by_path("foo.aaa").unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(field.kind, NodeType::Field { value: 0x81 });
+    let field = root.get_by_path("foo.aaa.bbb").unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(field.kind, NodeType::Field { value: 0x82 });
+    let field = root.get_by_path("foo.aaa.ccc").unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(field.kind, NodeType::Field { value: 0x83 });
+    let field = root.get_by_path("foo.ddd.eee").unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(field.kind, NodeType::Field { value: 0x84 });
+    let field = root.get_by_path("foo.ddd").unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(field.kind, NodeType::Field { value: 0x85 });
+    let field = root.get_by_path("foo.fff").unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(field.kind, NodeType::Field { value: 0x86 });
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn decode() {
     let mut cm = CollateralManager::file_system_tree(Path::new(COLLATERAL_TREE_PATH)).unwrap();