OpenIDM Integrator's Guide
Chapter 10. Configuring Synchronization

Identity management software tends to favor either a meta-directory data model, where all data are mirrored in a central repository, or a virtual data model, where only a minimum set of attributes are stored centrally, and most are loaded on demand from the external resources in which they are stored. The meta-directory model offers fast access at the risk of getting out-of-date data. The virtual model guarantees fresh data, but pays for that guarantee in terms of performance.

OpenIDM leaves the data model choice up to you. You determine the right trade offs for a particular deployment. OpenIDM does not hard code any particular schema or set of attributes stored in the repository. Instead, you define how external system objects map onto managed objects, and OpenIDM dynamically updates the repository to store the managed object attributes that you configure.

You can, for example, choose to follow the data model defined in the Simple Cloud Identity Management (SCIM) specification. The following object represents a SCIM user.

{
    "userName": "james1",
    "familyName": "Berg",
    "givenName": "James",
    "email": [
        "james1@example.com"
    ],
    "description": "Created by OpenIDM REST.",
    "password": "asdfkj23",
    "displayName": "James Berg",
    "phoneNumber": "12345",
    "employeeNumber": "12345",
    "userType": "Contractor",
    "title": "Vice President",
    "active": true
}

	Note
	Avoid using the dash character ( - ) in property names, like last-name, as dashes in names make JavaScript syntax more complex. If you cannot avoid the dash, then write source['last-name'] instead of source.last-name in java script.