GlossaryΒΆ
Key terms and concepts used throughout JIM.
- Activity
- A logged operation (such as import, sync, or export) with its status, timing, and outcome details. Activities provide a complete audit trail of every operation JIM performs.
- Attribute Flow
- A rule that maps an attribute between a Connected System Object and a Metaverse Object. Attribute Flows define how data moves during synchronisation, including any transformations applied via expressions.
- Attribute Priority
- The deterministic precedence that decides which Connected System's value wins when several contribute the same Metaverse Object attribute. Each contributing inbound Synchronisation Rule holds a priority for the attribute, and the highest-priority contributor that has a value sets it, so the result never depends on the order synchronisations happen to run in.
- Configuration Change History
- A versioned, per-object audit of who changed a configuration entity, what changed, and when, captured as a redacted snapshot on the originating Activity. It covers every administrator-mutable configuration type and is retained on its own, typically much longer, retention period.
- Connector
- An adapter for communicating with an external system. Each connector implements the protocol and logic required to import from and export to a specific type of data source (e.g. LDAP directories, CSV files).
- Connector Space
- The staging area where Connected System Objects reside before and after synchronisation. The connector space acts as a buffer between external systems and the metaverse, ensuring that changes are validated before they are applied.
- CSO (Connected System Object)
- An external system's representation of an identity within JIM. Each CSO is a staged copy of an object from a Connected System, held in the connector space until synchronisation processes it.
- Deprovisioning
- The process of removing or disabling accounts in target systems when an identity no longer meets the criteria for access. Deprovisioning ensures that stale or revoked accounts are cleaned up across all Connected Systems.
- Deprovisioning Action
- What an export Synchronisation Rule does to a Connected System Object when its identity is deleted or leaves the rule's scope. Disconnect (the default) unlinks the objects and leaves the target account in place; Delete removes the account from the target system, whether JIM originally provisioned it or matched a pre-existing one.
- Drift Correction
- The re-application of JIM's expected values to a Connected System Object after drift detection finds that the target system's values no longer match what JIM's Attribute Flows say they should be. Attributes marked Initial Export Only are exempt.
- Expression
- A formula for transforming attribute values during Attribute Flow. Expressions enable string manipulation, conditional logic, and value mapping so that data arriving from one system can be adapted to the format required by another.
- Grace Period
- The configurable time window before a scheduled deletion is executed. Grace periods provide a safety net, allowing administrators to recover objects that were marked for deletion before they are permanently removed.
- Initial Export Only
- An Attribute Flow option on export Synchronisation Rules. The attribute is set once, when JIM provisions the object, and is then treated as unmanaged: the Connected System owns the value from that point on and Drift Correction leaves it alone. Intended for initial passwords, one-time tokens, and other set-once values.
- Join
- The process of linking a Connected System Object to an existing Metaverse Object. A join occurs when JIM's Object Matching Rules determine that an incoming CSO corresponds to an identity already represented in the metaverse.
- Metaverse
- The central authoritative identity repository within JIM. The metaverse holds the consolidated, canonical view of every identity, aggregated from all Connected Systems via Synchronisation Rules.
- MVO (Metaverse Object)
- The central identity entity stored in the metaverse. Each MVO represents a single real-world identity and may be linked to multiple Connected System Objects across different systems.
- Null is a value
- A per-contributor Attribute Priority setting. When an in-scope contributor with this setting supplies no value, JIM positively asserts "no value" and clears the attribute downstream, rather than falling through to a lower-priority source. It distinguishes a deliberate, authoritative clear from a contributor that simply has no opinion.
- Obsoletion
- The process of marking a Connected System Object as no longer existing in its source system. Obsoletion is detected during import when an object that was previously present is no longer returned by the Connected System.
- Object Matching Rule
- A rule that decides whether an incoming Connected System Object corresponds to an existing identity. Import matching joins a CSO to a Metaverse Object; export matching joins an identity being provisioned to an account that already exists in the target system, rather than creating a duplicate.
- Partition
- A logical division within a Connected System. Partitions allow JIM to scope imports and exports to specific segments of a directory or data source, such as organisational units in an LDAP directory.
- Pending Export
- A queued change waiting to be sent to a target system. Pending Exports are created during synchronisation and held until an export Run Profile is executed, at which point they are applied to the Connected System.
- Projection
- The process of creating a new Metaverse Object when no existing match is found for an incoming Connected System Object. Projection establishes a new identity in the metaverse based on the Synchronisation Rule configuration.
- Provisioning
- The process of creating accounts in target systems when a new identity meets the criteria defined by export Synchronisation Rules. Provisioning ensures that identities are represented in all systems where they require access.
- Run Profile
- A configured operation that defines what action to perform on a Connected System. Run Profiles include Full Import, Delta Import, Full Sync, Delta Sync, and Export, each with configurable parameters such as page size and target partition.
- Standard Mappings
- The recorded correspondence between a Metaverse Attribute and its counterparts in the SCIM 2.0 and LDAP/Active Directory standards, with notes where the correspondence needs care. Built-in attributes come pre-populated and are kept current by JIM; you can record your own on custom attributes. Standard Mappings are guidance for choosing which attribute to target when connecting a system that speaks either standard; what actually flows between systems is determined solely by your Attribute Flows.
- Synchronisation Rule
- A complete mapping configuration between a Connected System and the metaverse. Synchronisation Rules define object type mappings, Attribute Flows, scoping criteria, Object Matching Rules, and the direction of data flow (inbound or outbound).
- Temporal Scope Reconciliation
- A scheduled reconciliation that re-evaluates the scoping criteria of Synchronisation Rules which depend on relative dates, so objects move in or out of scope as time passes even when their own attributes have not changed.