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A Directory Can Organize Information in a Hierarchy

A directory can arrange information in a hierarchy, to make it easy to browse. This is useful for lists of products, services, staff, customers that can easily be grouped into distinct categories.

If a directory contains a huge number of entries and it is not browsed by people, you can use a flat structure.

Example: A Hierarchical Directory Structure

Company A produces about four hundred kinds of glass vessels. Company A’s products are easily divided into the following hierarchical categories:

A hierarchical DIT for the products of Company A

Example: A Flat Directory Structure

For a directory with millions of entries, the following flat structure might work better:

A DIT with only two levels for the customers of Company B