---
title: About the schema
description: Understand how the PingDirectoryProxy server inherits user-defined schema from external servers at startup and every five minutes, without manual schema updates.
component: pingdirectory
version: 10.3
page_id: pingdirectory:pingdirectoryproxy_server_administration_guide:pd_proxy_about_schema
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/11.1/pingdirectoryproxy_server_administration_guide/pd_proxy_about_schema.html
llms_txt: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/llms.txt
docs_for_agents: https://developer.pingidentity.com/build-with-ai/docs-for-agents.md
revdate: 2023-09-13T00:00:00Z
superseded_by: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/11.1/pingdirectoryproxy_server_administration_guide/pd_proxy_about_schema.html
---

# About the schema

The PingDirectoryProxy server inherits user-defined schema from all external servers by comparing `cn=schema` on these servers at PingDirectoryProxy server startup and at five minute intervals.

In the following example, the Example.com company acquires Sample Corporation. The Example.com schema does not need to be added manually to the PingDirectoryProxy server's `config/schema` directory. We assume that the schema for Sample Corporation's entries has been defined on the external servers with the example.com directory information tree (DIT), requiring no direct schema management on the PingDirectoryProxy server. The following schema definitions are assumed to exist on the external directory server.

```
dn: cn=schema
objectClass: top
objectClass: ldapSubentry
objectClass: subschema
cn: schema
attributeTypes: ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.32473.2.1.1
  NAME 'exAccountNumber'
  SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15
  SINGLE-VALUE )
attributeTypes: ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.32473.1.1.3
  NAME 'sampleLinkedAccounts'
  SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.12 )
attributeTypes: ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.32473.1.1.2
  NAME 'sampleRegion'
  SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15
  SINGLE-VALUE )
attributeTypes: ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.32473.1.1.1
  NAME 'sampleID'
  SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15
  SINGLE-VALUE )
attributeTypes: ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.32473.2.1.3
  NAME 'exSampleLinkedAccounts'
  SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.12 )
attributeTypes: ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.32473.2.1.2
  NAME 'exSampleRegion'
  SYNTAX 1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15
  SINGLE-VALUE )
objectClasses: ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.32473.2.2.1
  NAME 'exampleAccount'
  SUP top
  AUXILIARY
  MAY ( exAccountNumber $
        exSampleRegion $
        exSampleLinkedAccounts $
        sampleID $
        sampleRegion $
        sampleLinkedAccounts ) )
```

The schema file defines some example.com schema, such as `exAccountNumber` and `exSampleRegion`, and some Sample Corporation schema, such as `sampleRegion` and `sampleID`.