Development overview
Quick answer
Developing on IdentityIQ means extending it at defined points: BeanShell rules for logic, workflows for multi-step processes, custom connectors for unusual systems, and plugins for UI and REST extensions. Most work is configuration first; code is the last resort, kept small and reusable.
Key takeaways
- Configuration first, code only where needed
- Rules (BeanShell) add logic at extension points
- Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes
- Custom connectors and plugins extend integration and UI
- Everything lives as versionable deployment objects
The development module covers everything a SailPoint developer needs to extend the platform beyond configuration, rules, workflows, the object model, APIs and the engineering discipline that keeps customisations maintainable. Development is where SailPoint becomes truly fitted to an organisation.
What SailPoint development involves
Development means writing the logic and integrations that configuration alone cannot express: correlation and provisioning rules in BeanShell, custom workflows, API-driven automation, and occasionally custom connectors in Java. It sits on top of a solid understanding of the object model.
The developer toolkit
- BeanShell rules at defined hook points.
- Workflows for multi-step processes.
- The object model and XML for configuration-as-code.
- REST APIs and SDKs for automation and integration.
Engineering discipline
The difference between a maintainable deployment and an unmanageable one is discipline: keep rules small, null-safe, tested and documented; keep configuration in source control; test every change in a lower environment; and avoid the performance traps (per-identity database queries, huge object graphs) that customisation makes easy to fall into.
Common pitfalls
- Scattering business logic across many undocumented rules.
- Performance-killing customisations.
- Untested code deployed to production.
Want to learn this properly?
Our live, instructor-led SailPoint Training covers this hands-on, with real projects and a certification path.
Check your understanding
The first thing a good IdentityIQ developer tries is?
- A. Configuration. Configuration first; code is the last resort.
- B. Connector SDK. Custom connectors are built on the connector SDK.
- C. Workflows. Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes.
Show answer
A. Configuration. Configuration first; code is the last resort.
Configuration. Configuration first; code is the last resort.
Multi-step processes with approvals and waits are built as?
- A. Connector SDK. Custom connectors are built on the connector SDK.
- B. Configuration. Configuration first; code is the last resort.
- C. Workflows. Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes.
Show answer
C. Workflows. Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes.
Workflows. Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes.
Custom integration where no standard connector fits uses the?
- A. Configuration. Configuration first; code is the last resort.
- B. Workflows. Workflows orchestrate multi-step processes.
- C. Connector SDK. Custom connectors are built on the connector SDK.
Show answer
C. Connector SDK. Custom connectors are built on the connector SDK.
Connector SDK. Custom connectors are built on the connector SDK.