Policy Server Guides › Policy Server Configuration Guide › User Directories › Universal IDs

Universal IDs

A Universal ID (UID) is a customer-specific user identifier to any application that is under SiteMinder control. UIDs are often different from user login names.

UIDs allow SiteMinder to bridge the gap between new applications and legacy applications or to avoid changes in underlying user repositories. The goal is to make the process of delivering this ID to applications automatic, regardless of the number or types of applications. For example, a company may have legacy applications that look up user information according to an employee ID number. Since the Policy Server uses a login name to identify a user in a directory, the UID provides a means for the Policy Server to identify the user, while still collecting the employee ID number from a user directory for use by other applications.

When you configure a user directory connection in the Administrative UI, you can specify a UID in the User Attributes group box on the User Directory pane.