Merging directory information from a user directory to a common directory includes based on a rule associated with contents of a user directory of a local database, extracting a department indicator from the user directory, mapping the department indicator to a corresponding user record in a common directory of a registry database, and based on the department indicator, marking the user record in the common directory with a department that corresponds to the contents from the user directory with a department for controlling access to that user record in the registry database.