When an application is enabled as a source, what is the expected behavior regarding attribute overwriting?

When an application is enabled as a source in Okta, the expected behavior is that no overwriting occurs. This means that when users are provisioned or updated from that application, their existing attributes in Okta remain unchanged unless explicitly managed otherwise. This default behavior is significant as it ensures that data integrity is maintained; existing configurations or attributes set within Okta are preserved, preventing accidental loss of information during synchronization with the external application.

This design allows for a careful approach to data management, where administrators can choose when and how to update user attributes rather than having these changes automatically pushed from the source application. It reflects a more cautious methodology in handling user data, which is particularly important in environments with multiple data sources or complex attribute requirements.

In scenarios where attribute overwriting is necessary, administrators would need to implement specific configurations or rules to control which attributes are modified during updates, thus underscoring the importance of understanding and managing data synchronization behaviors actively.