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If you import data from other sources, develop a strategy for both bulk imports
and incremental updates. As a part of this strategy, try to master data in a
single place, and limit the number of applications that can change the data.
Also, limit the number of people who write to any given piece of data. A
smaller group ensures data integrity while reducing your administrative
overhead.
•
Document your site survey.
Because of the number of organizations that can be affected by the directory, it
may be helpful to create a directory deployment team that includes
representatives from each affected organization. This team performs the site
survey.
Corporations generally have a human resources department, an accounting
and/or accounts receivable department, one or more manufacturing
organizations, one or more sales organizations, and one or more development
organizations. Including representatives from each of these organizations can
help you perform the survey. Furthermore, directly involving all the affected
organizations can help build acceptance for the migration from local data
stores to a centralized directory.
Identifying the Applications That Use Your
Directory
Generally, the applications that access your directory and the data needs of these
applications drive the planning of your directory contents. Some of the common
applications that use your directory include:
•
Directory browser applications, such as online telephone books. Decide what
information (such as email addresses, telephone numbers, and employee
name) your users need, and make sure you include it in the directory.
•
Email applications, especially email servers. All email servers require email
addresses, user names, and some routing information to be available in the
directory. Others, however, require more advanced information such as the
place on disk where a user's mailbox is stored, vacation notification
information, and protocol information (IMAP versus POP, for example).
•
Directory-enabled human resources applications. These require more personal
information such as government identification numbers, home addresses,
home telephone numbers, birth dates, salary, and job title.
Performing a Site Survey
Chapter 2
How to Plan Your Directory Data
29
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