The Active Directory component that defines all the objects and attributes that the directory service uses to store data.
Schema Objects. Active Directory uses objects to store and reference data in the directory. The schema defines the types of objects that are available to the directory service. The schema is stored in the schema partition, which is also defined as an object Class Instance. An occurrence of a class that is defined in the schema. This term is used to distinguish between the definition of a class and a discrete occurrence of the class. For example, storing a User object for Jeff Smith in the directory service creates an instance of User. Based on the object definition in the schema, the directory creates the object and stores the data. Object definitions control the types of data that the objects can store, as well as the syntax of the data. Using this information, the schema ensures that all objects conform to their standard definitions. Active Directory Schema. All databases have a schema which is a formal definition (set of rules) which govern the database structure and types of objects and attributes which can be contained in the database. The Microsoft Active Directory schema contains formal definitions of every object class that can be created in an Active Directory forest. The schema also contains formal definitions of every attribute that can exist in an Active Directory object. The schema is the Active Directory component that defines all the objects and attributes that the directory service uses to store data. The physical structure of the schema consists of the object definitions. The schema itself is stored in the directory. The schema is the Active Directory component that defines all the objects and attributes that the directory service uses to store data. Active Directory stores and retrieves information from a wide variety of applications and services.
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define schema in active directory