A computer system creates a view that has a class definition and one or more attributes of a directory to support graphical representation of the directory. A distributed processing system includes the directory and a number of nodes, one of the nodes being a service node. The directory includes entries that are associated with the nodes. The service node receives an attribute value that is associated with one of nodes. The service node determines from the class definition of the view that the received attribute value is associated with an attribute type that describes a new attribute value and creates an updated view without defining the received attribute value in the entries of the directory. The updated view includes the received attribute value.