Patent ID: 7636720

Claim:
A method for associating and using information in a metadirectory comprising: receiving, for an object defined in one or more directories of at least one data source, an object name and an operation command that modifies a value of at least one attribute of the object; providing the metadirectory, wherein the metadirectory comprises a metadirectory schema for defining the object with an object name in association with delta information, error information, and state information for the object, wherein the delta information comprises operation commands that modified at least one attribute of the object including operation commands add, delete and modify, wherein the error information comprises at least one of an extension error or a rule error generated during a metadirectory process that pertains to the object, and wherein the state information comprises state information associated with a metadirectory process that pertains to the object, wherein metadirectory information is processed by: staging information, wherein the staging comprises communicating directory information from one or more data sources to the metadirectory; synchronizing information, wherein the synchronizing comprises aggregating information and managing information with respect to a core area and a buffer in the metadirectory, and wherein the aggregating information comprises sub-processes joining, projecting and flowing, wherein: joining establishes a link between an object in the core area and an object in a buffer area; projecting creates a storage layer entity in the core area and establishes a link between the created storage layer entity and an already existing storage layer entity; and flowing changes directory information in the core area of the metadirectory using a link established between an entity in the buffer and an entity in the core; and wherein the managing information comprises sub-processes provisioning, deprovisioning and flowing, wherein: provisioning is triggered by changes applied to an entity in the core area, where upon a buffer entity is created and a link between the changed entity in the core area and the created buffer entity is established; and deprovisioning removes buffer entities in response to metadata indicating a buffer as deleted; and exporting data, wherein the exporting comprises examining information in a buffer area of the metadirectory flagged for pending export and to communicate update information to at least one data sources; and defining, for the object defined in the one or more directories of the at least one data source, a corresponding object in the metadirectory according to the metadirectory schema wherein the corresponding object definition for the object associates the object name and the operation command that pertains to at least one attribute of the object.