9.4 Example: Synchronizing a Relational Database Table to Oracle Internet Directory

This section demonstrates how to synchronize a relational database table to Oracle Internet Directory. It contains these topics:

Configuring the Additional Configuration Information File
Configuring the Mapping File
Configuring the Directory Integration Profile
Uploading the Additional Configuration Information File
Uploading the Mapping File
The Synchronization Process
Observations on the Example

In this example, the following relational database table containing employee data is synchronized with Oracle Internet Directory.

Table 9-1 Employee Table

EMPNO	ENAME	LAST_UPDATE_DATE	EMAIL	TELEPHONE
98357	JOHN DOE	2-JAN-2000	JOHN.DOE@ACME.COM	435-324-3455
98360	ROGER BECK	3-JUL-2001	ROGER.BECK@ACME.COM	435-324-3600
98365	JIMMY WONG	4-MAR-2001	JIMMY.WONG@ACME.COM	435-324-2390
98370	GEORGE MICHAEL	6-FEB-2002	GEORGE.MICHAEL@ACME.COM	435-324-9232

You can find a sample profile for this example in the directory $ORACLE_HOME/ldap/odi/samples. Also present there are the sample configuration and mapping files. In this example:

The name of the table is Employee
The Profile Name is TESTDBIMPORT.
The employee number (EMPNO) is used to JOIN a database record with a directory entry. It is specified in the OID Matching Filter (orclOdipOIDMatchingFilter) attribute described in the attributes reference chapter of the Oracle Identity Management User Reference.
This table is present in the testsync/testsyncpwd schema in a database. The database is located on the host machine.acme.com, the database listener port is 1526 and the SID is iasdb. The database URL is machine.acme.com:1526:iasdb.
Appropriate read/write permissions have been given explicitly to this profile, namely, orclodipagentname=testdbimport, cn=subscriber profile, cn=changelog subscriber, cn=oracle internet directory
The profile is created in configuration set 1.

9.4.1 Configuring the Additional Configuration Information File

This example uses the same Additional Configuration Information file described earlier in "Preparing the Additional Configuration Information File".

9.4.2 Configuring the Mapping File

The mapping file for this example contains the following:

DomainRules
NONLDAP:dc=testdbsync,dc=com:uid=%,dc=testdbsync,dc=com
AttributeRules
ename: : : :cn: :person
ename : : : :sn: :person
uid : : : :uid: :inetOrgperson:
EMail: : : :mail: :inetOrgperson
Telephone: : : :telephonenumber: :inetOrgperson
empnum: : : :employeenumber: :inetOrgperson

This mapping file specifies the following:

Directory entries are created as uid=%,dc=testdbsync,dc=com. The % is a placeholder for the actual value of uid. The uid must be present in the mapping rules so that it has a value after the mapping. Otherwise the DN construction fails.
Both the cn and sn attributes are to have the same value as ename.
The uid element must have the value of the EMail prefix, which is the element of the e-mail address prior to the '@' character.
empnum becomes employeenumber in the directory entry.
telephone becomes telephone number in the directory entry.

9.4.3 Configuring the Directory Integration Profile

The directory integration profile for this example contains the attribute values as described in Table 9-2. A sample integration profile with these values populated and the corresponding mapping and configuration files are available in $ORACLE_HOME/ldap/odi/samples directory. You can create the profile by running the Directory Integration and Provisioning Assistant in the createprofile mode and specifying the file as the argument. Alternatively, you can create the profile by using the Oracle Directory Integration and Provisioning Server Administration tool.

See Also:

The dipassistant section in the Oracle Directory Integration and Provisioning tools chapter of the Oracle Identity Management User Reference for information on the Directory Integration and Provisioning Assistant
"Creating a Profile by Using the Oracle Directory Integration and Provisioning Server Administration Tool" for instructions on creating a profile by using the Oracle Directory Integration and Provisioning Server Administration tool

Table 9-2 Directory Integration Profile for TESTDBIMPORT

Attribute	Value
`Profile Name (orclOdipAgentName`)	`TESTDBIMPORT`
Synchronization Mode (`orclOdipSynchronizationMode`)	`IMPORT`
`Professoriats (orclOdipAgentControl`)	`ENABLE`
Agent Execution Command (`orclodipAgentExeCommand`)	null
Additional Config Info (`orclOdipAgentConfigInfo`)	As shown in the preceding file. Needs to be uploaded
Connected Directory Account (`orclOdipConDirAccessAccount`)	`testdbsync`
Connected Directory Account Password (`orclOdipConDirAccessPassword`)	`testdbsyncpwd`
Connected Directory URL (`orclOdipConDir`URL)	`machine.acme.com:1526:iasdb`
Interface Type (`orclodipDataInterfaceType`)	`DB`
Mapping File:	To be uploaded from a file
OID Matching Filter (`orclOdipOIDMatchingFilter`)	`employeenumber` This means that `employeenumber` is used to search the directory while looking for a match. If a match is found, then the directory entry is modified. Otherwise, a new entry is created. This is necessary to ensure that the `orclOdipOIDMatchingFilter` attribute is unique in the database also. Once a database row is retrieved, the Oracle directory integration and provisioning server searches the directory for that `employeenumber` in the domain `dc=testdbsync,dc=com` according to the domain rules. If it gets a match, it updates that entry with the latest values of the columns in the row retrieved. If it does not get a match, it creates a new entry in the directory with all the attributes from the column values.
Last Applied Change Number (`orclodipConDirLastAppliedChgNum`)	`20000101000000` This means that the first time the profile executes, it retrieves and synchronizes all four rows. Subsequently, it retrieves rows only when the `LAST_UPDATE_DATE` column in the table is updated to the time last modified.

9.4.4 Uploading the Additional Configuration Information File

Use the Directory Integration and Provisioning Assistant to upload the additional configuration information file, as follows:

$ORACLE_HOME/bin/dipassistant modifyprofile [-h hostName] [-p port] 
[-D bindDn] [-w password] -profile profName 
odip.profile.mapfile=absolute path name of configuration file

9.4.5 Uploading the Mapping File

Use the Directory Integration and Provisioning Assistant to upload the mapping file, as follows:

$ORACLE_HOME/bin/dipassistant modifyprofile [-h hostName] [-p port]
[-D bindDn] [-w password] -profile profName 
odip.profile.mapfile=absolute path name of mapping file

9.4.6 The Synchronization Process

In this example, the sequence of steps in the synchronization process is:

The Oracle directory integration and provisioning server starts a new profile thread for the TESTDBIMPORT profile every time the value specified in the scheduling interval (orclOdipSchedulingInterval) attribute expires.
The profile thread reads the additional configuration information to get the SQL to execute, and then runs the SQL.
For every row retrieved from the database, the mapping rules are applied to the record and LDAP attributes are created.
Depending on the OID Matching Filter (orclOdipOIDMatchingFilter) attribute, the directory integration and provisioning server determines whether a matching entry exists in Oracle Internet Directory or not. If it exists, then it is updated. If not, then a new entry is created. After the directory operation, the last applied change number (orclodipConDirLastAppliedChgNum) attribute is updated.

9.4.7 Observations on the Example

When a row is retrieved from the database, it is in the following form:

EmpNum: 98357
EName: JOHN DOE
UID: JOHN.DOE
EMAIL: JOHN.DOE@ACME.COM
TELEPHONE: 435-324-3455
Modified_Date: 20000102000000

After the mapping is performed on this record, the output is in the following form:

dn: uid=john.doe,dc=testdbsync,dc=com
uid: JOHN.DOE
cn: JOHN DOE 
sn: JOHN DOE 
mail: JOHN.DOE@ACME.COM
employeenumber: 98357
telephonenumber: 435-324-3455
objectclass: person
objectclass: inetorgperson

A subtree search is made in the directory with the filter employeenumber=98357 under the domain dc=testdbsync,dc=com. If the search yields an existing entry, then that entry is updated. Otherwise, a new entry is created. Because the OID Matching Filter (orclOdipOIDMatchingFilter) attribute is set to employeenumber, every database record retrieved must have that column. In this case, it is EmpNum as it maps to employeenumber.

Any other attributes in the mapping file that are not in the data retrieved by the SQL are ignored—for example, the attribute birthday.

After the profile thread processes all the change records from the SQL, it updates the directory with correct values for these attributes:

Last Applied Change Number (orclodipConDirLastAppliedChgNum)
Last Execution Time (orclOdipLastExecutionTime)
Last Successful Execution Time (orclOdipLastSuccessfulExecutionTime)