def METHOD_NAME(group_metadata_item):
    """
    If column_name_id_map is defined, the identifier to use is the column's Django ID. If
    column_name_id_map is None, the identifier to use is the column's name/alias, in which
    case, no processing is needed.
    """
    if column_name_id_map is not None:
        return _replace_column_names_with_ids(group_metadata_item)
    else:
        return group_metadata_item