Object Identifiers Are Displayed Instead of the Attribute Name in the View All Attributes Web Page (296783)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Metadirectory Services 2.1
  • Microsoft Metadirectory Services 2.2
This article was previously published under Q296783

SYMPTOMS

When you execute the View All Attributes command on an object, some of the attribute values are labeled by using their object identifier string, which is also known as the OID. The following code is an example of what you may see in the View All Attributes Web page for a user object: 
objectclass
    zcperson
    person
    top
sn
    Johnson

givenName
    Florence

2.16.128.113533.1.818.26089
    EA12345

cn
    Florence Johnson
In this example, you expect to see the attribute name "uniqueIdentifier" instead of the attribute object identifier string 2.16.128.113533.1.818.26089.

However, in these circumstances, if you look up the attribute definition in the metaverse by using the object identifier value, the search is successful. The friendly name of the attribute is displayed in the Search Results dialog box.

CAUSE

This problem may occur if the new attribute definition is created during the import process, and both of the following conditions are true:
  1. The attribute properties have not yet been displayed through Compass.
  2. A Viacompact has not been run against the database since the creation of the new attribute definition.
Under these conditions, the attribute name cannot be de-referenced on the View All Attributes Web page.

RESOLUTION

Because Microsoft Metadirectory Services (MMS) has a flexible schema, when you import objects into the metaverse, and a new attribute is encountered, the schema is automatically extended. The new attribute is given an object identifier, which is a unique numeric string that is similar to an IP address. The object identifier string differentiates the attribute from all other attributes within the database. The MMS database stores attributes by object identifiers rather than by name. However, when the View All Attributes Web page is used to display the object, an attempt is made to de-reference the object identifier number of the attribute to present the attribute's friendly name. If the object identifier is successfully de-referenced, the attribute's friendly name is displayed on the Web page as the attribute's name. However, if the system cannot de-reference the object identifier number, the object identifier number is displayed instead.

It is also possible that the attribute definition has been deleted from the schema, even though the attribute is already used in an object in the database. In this case, you cannot search for the attribute by object identifier number because it is not present. It is always recommended that if you are experiencing this behavior, first determine that the attribute definition still exists in the schema, and if it does, use the following steps to work around this behavior.

To Access the Attribute by Object Identifier

  1. Copy the object identifier from the View All Attributes Web page.
  2. Paste the object identifier in the Search dialog box.
  3. If the attribute is displayed in the search results, double-click the attribute to display its properties, and then click OK.
If you have a number of attributes that are displayed as object identifiers, run a Viacompact on the database by using the Viacompact.exe utility. For additional information about how to use the Viacompact utility, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

250484 How to Use the VIA Compact Utility in MMS

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:1/25/2006
Keywords:kbbug KB296783
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