You can use the mapping indicators Export and Import to define what the mapping is used for.
With the synchronization indicators Export and Import , you can further restrict the number of mappings actually used for a specific synchronization run.
Example
A customer wants to fill the attributes cn and sapUsername in the directory with the field SAP Username from the SAP System.
He or she uses the following mapping for the export to the directory:
As the attributes can have different values after the export (for example, cn changes if the entry is renamed), the question arises for the import of which of the two attributes contains the valid SAP Username. In this example, the customer decides to use the value from the sapUsername attribute.
He or she therefore uses the following mapping for the import from the directory:
USERNAME-BAPIBNAME -> sapUsername
The mapping indicators therefore simply represent the arrows between the SAP fields and the directory attributes. In our example, the arrow directions indicate how the indicators are to be set:
Arrow from left to right: Export mapping set.
Arrow from right to left: Import mapping set.
In the case of simple 1:1 mappings of SAP fields to directory attributes, both mapping indicators are usually set, as the corresponding mapping can be used in both directions. The mapping proposals contained in the standard SAP System mainly contain 1:1 mappings of this type.
Example
You can use a mapping proposal for which the mapping indicator is set for both the export and the import. If you now specify a synchronization direction with the synchronization indicator, such as Import , only the attributes and fields of your mapping proposal that are set to Import are synchronized. This means that attributes set to Export are not synchronized during this run.
During a synchronization run, the system determines what changes have been made in the SAP System and in the directory since the last run. The system then compares the two repositories. As the information about whether something has changes only exists at entry and not at attribute level, the system can only determine whether there is a need for a synchronization. The synchronization of an entry is either required only in one direction (for example, change only in one repository) or in both directions (changes in both repositories).
No information is available about which fields have changed in each case, or which repository has a new value for a field. You must therefore use a synchronization indicator to define which repository has the leading role for a field. To ensure data consistency, changes to the fields in the subordinate repository are overwritten again by the value from the leading repository during the synchronization. If neither of the synchronization indicators is set for a mapping, the fields affected are not synchronized.