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  Now that you have some idea what you're going to do with your namespace after you define it, it's time to turn our attention to the design process itself. The first step in designing a namespace is to understand what your needs are. Do you need a flat namespace or a hierarchical one? What attributes should you use to name entries? Do you have replication or data partitioning needs that may affect the design of your namespace? What about access control? What applications will the directory be supporting? Are your needs constant, or might they change over time? These questions and others need to be answered before you can have confidence in your namespace design.
  This section takes you through the major decisions you'll need to make when designing your namespace. Keep in mind that like many other design problems, namespace design involves a series of tradeoffs, such as administrative convenience for future flexibility. As we examine each of these trade-offs, we'll try to point out what you gain and what you sacrifice at each step. At the end of this chapter we provide a checklist summary of the issues you should consider during the design process.