Planning directory customization

You can add forms and views to the HCL Domino® Directory to accommodate specific needs of your company. If you use the LDAP service, you can also use the Domino® LDAP Schema database (schema.nsf) to define new object classes and attributes to be added to the directory.

Some of the questions to ask when planning directory customization are:

  • To define a new type of entry in the directory, should you use the Schema database or create a form in the Domino® Directory instead? If you don't use the LDAP service, you must create a form. If you use the LDAP service you can use the Schema database to define object classes and attributes with some LDAP-specific characteristics that are not available when you create Domino® Directory forms. However only LDAP clients, not Notes® and Web clients, can access entries defined only in the Schema database.
  • If you use the LDAP service, are there attributes and object classes already defined in the Domino® LDAP schema that serve your company's needs? The schema -- the types of directory entries that are defined for the LDAP service -- by default defines many object classes and attributes which you may be able to use rather than adding new ones.
  • If your company doesn't use the LDAP service, should you create a form in such a way that it can represent an LDAP object class? It's good practice to create a form that can represent an LDAP object class, so that if in the future your company uses the LDAP service, the design requirements are in place.