Patent ID: 7447701

Claim:
A computer implemented method for attribute set configuration, the method comprising: identifying a class to be configured, wherein the class describes a type of object used to identify an entity in a directory and identifies a format for each object described by the class, and wherein the class comprises an attribute set comprising a plurality of attributes, each of the plurality of attributes describing a trait of the entity identified by the object that is described by the class, and specifies that the set of attributes is to be included in each object described by the class; identifying a template for said attribute set, said template includes configuration information other than schema information for at least one attribute in said attribute set; and configuring said class by configuring said attribute set in said class, based at least in part on said configuration information; wherein the class describes a plurality of objects, each comprising the set of attributes specified by the class, the set of attributes comprising a first attribute of a first type, the plurality of objects comprising a first object in which an attribute of the first type has a first value, and a second object in which an attribute of the first type has a second value.