It is very rare to have a FIM project where the data in all CDSs (Connected Data Sources) are structured in a way that can be easily consumed and managed by FIM.
You will often need to use one or several of the transformation ways we have discussed in this chapter. I am personally a friend of limiting the code base in the FIM implementations, since I believe the cost of maintaining this code over time is often underestimated. This is why I have grown fond of using SSIS lately. SSIS is today a really powerful tool when it comes to data transformations.
In this chapter we have seen examples of how PowerShell, non-declarative, classic rules extensions, and SSIS can be used to transform data, making it manageable by FIM.
In the next chapter, we will take a look at the outcast member of the FIM products, FIM Certificate Management. It is time to show how FIM can be used to manage Smart Cards.