---
title: About managing attribute syntaxes
description: The attribute type definition has a SYNTAX element, or attribute syntax, that specifies how the data values for the attribute are represented.
component: pingdirectory
version: 11.1
page_id: pingdirectory:pingdirectory_server_administration_guide:pd_ds_manage_attr_syntaxes
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/11.1/pingdirectory_server_administration_guide/pd_ds_manage_attr_syntaxes.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: September 13, 2023
---

# About managing attribute syntaxes

The attribute type definition has a `SYNTAX` element, or attribute syntax, that specifies how the data values for the attribute are represented.

The syntax can be used to define a large range of data types necessary for client applications. An attribute syntax uses the Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) format for its definitions.