How to Select a Field Population Method

CA Identity Manager provides four methods for populating field options:

When selecting a method, consider the following criteria:

Ease of implementation
Some methods allow you to configure field options in the field properties dialog when you configure a profile screen. Other options require additional configuration or custom code.
Support for dynamic options
Certain methods allow you to write custom code to dynamically populate field options, or to retrieve field options from another source, such as a database.
Support for dependent fields
Certain methods allow you to configure a dependency between two fields in a task screen. For example, the options that are available in the City field may depend on the option a user chooses in the State field.

The following table summarizes the characteristics of each field population method.

Method	Description	Dynamic?	Supports Dependent Fields?
Simple Lists	Administrators enter static options in the field properties dialog.	No	No
Select Box Data	A static list of options is imported to a database from an XML file, which can be generated dynamically.	Yes. The options in dependant fields can change, based on selected values.	Yes, for hierarchical fields only
JavaScript	A JavaScript function provides a dynamic list of options. The JavaScript is configured in the field properties dialog. This server-side JavaScript may access any Java APIs available on the application server that hosts CA Identity Manager.	Yes	No
Logical Attribute Handler	A custom Java Logical Attribute Handler provides a dynamic list of options. An administrator writes the Logical Attribute Handler using the CA Identity Manager Logical Attribute API, and then configures the CA Identity Manager environment to use the Logical Attribute Handler. The administrator then associates the field with the logical attribute.	Yes	No