What does source metadata describe?

Source metadata is crucial in the context of identity governance and management because it offers detailed information about the data sources that an organization uses. The correct choice indicates that source metadata describes the source and how to connect to it. This includes technical details such as connection strings, authentication methods, and other necessary configurations that facilitate data integration within the identity management system.

Understanding the connection requirements is essential for ensuring that the identity platform can access and manage the data effectively, enabling it to retrieve information on user identities, roles, and entitlements from various sources like databases, applications, or directories. This capability is foundational for any identity management solution, ensuring that it effectively identifies and authenticates users across multiple systems.

The other choices, while relevant aspects of identity management, do not accurately define what source metadata is. Attributes assigned to identities refer more specifically to identity data rather than how to connect to a source. A listing of entitlements pertains to permissions granted to identities and is separate from metadata about data sources themselves. Compliance information, while important, concerns regulatory and organizational standards, making it distinct from the technical aspects of source metadata.