How to clear an attribute in a target system

You can use synchronization templates to clear the value of an attribute in a target system, such as Active Directory (AD). This is useful for removing outdated information and ensuring data consistency.

This guide provides procedures for two scenarios:

• Clearing an attribute only when the corresponding source field is empty.

• Clearing an attribute for all users, regardless of the source data.

Procedure to clear an attribute when the source is empty

This procedure explains how to clear the telephoneNumber attribute in AD for users who do not have a value in the workPhone field in the source HR system.

1. Find and open the synchronization template you want to modify.

2. Locate the attribute mapping you want to change, or add a new one.

3. In the mapping rule, leave the Source field empty.

4. Select the Clear target checkbox.

5. Save the synchronization template.

This new rule ensures the target attribute will be kept empty for all new users or users updated in the future.

Applying the change to existing users

To clear the attribute for all existing users, you must re-export the mapping.

1. In the saved template, click Export mapping.

2. Select All to apply the change to every user affected by this template.

3. Click Preview to review the changes. Confirm that the export will send an empty value to the target attribute.

4. Click Execute to start the process.

The attribute will be cleared for all relevant users during the next synchronization.

Note: For more detailed instructions on re-exporting, see the guide How to Re-Export a User Attribute to a Target System

Procedure to clear an attribute for all users

Follow this procedure if you need to remove an attribute's value for all users managed by the template, for example, before you remove the mapping rule itself.

Warning: If you remove a mapping rule without first clearing the values, the existing data will remain in the target system.

1. In the attribute mapping rule, remove any value from the Source column.

2. Select the Clear target checkbox.

3. Press 'play' to re-export the mapping.