Chapter 2.9Planning the Directory DataThe data stored in the directory may include user names, email addresses, telephone numbers, andinformation about groups users are in, or it may contain other types of information. The type of data inthe directory determines how the directory is structured, who is given access to the data, and how thisaccess is requested and granted.This chapter describes the issues and strategies behind planning the directory's data.2.1. Introduction to Directory DataSome types of data are better suited to the directory than others. Ideal data for a directory has some ofthe following characteristics:• It is read more often than written.• It is expressible in attribute-data format (for example, surname=jensen).• It is of interest to more than one person or group. For example, an employee's name or the physicallocation of a printer can be of interest to many people and applications.• It will be accessed from more than one physical location.For example, an employee's preference settings for a software application may not seem to beappropriate for the directory because only a single instance of the application needs access to theinformation. However, if the application is capable of reading preferences from the directory and usersmight want to interact with the application according to their preferences from different sites, then it isvery useful to include the preference information in the directory.2.1.1. Information to Include in the DirectoryAny descriptive or useful information about a person or asset can be added to an entry as an attribute.For example:• Contact information, such as telephone numbers, physical addresses, and email addresses.• Descriptive information, such as an employee number, job title, manager or administratoridentification, and job-related interests.• Organization contact information, such as a telephone number, physical address, administratoridentification, and business description.• Device information, such as a printer's physical location, type of printer, and the number of pagesper minute that the printer can produce.• Contact and billing information for a corporation's trading partners, clients, and customers.• Contract information, such as the customer's name, due dates, job description, and pricinginformation.• Individual software preferences or software configuration information.• Resource sites, such as pointers to web servers or the file system of a certain file or application.
