Explore the device list

In this section, we will explore the Device List view in OTbase Inventory. The Device List View is made up of four sections: the device listing, the sort and filter bar, the command bar, and the scope selector. The view provides a color-coded inventory of devices based on user-defined scope and filter settings and allows users to adjust the column layout. Additionally, it offers a tag filtering mechanism for devices and a stored views feature, enabling users to save and swiftly reload their preferred filter settings

Sections of the device inventory

The device inventory display is divided into four sections: The device listing, the sort and filter bar, the command bar, and the scope selector.

Scope selector

You can limit the scope of the device listing by clicking on Scope, thereby extending the scope limiter downwards.

In the scope limiter, narrow down the scope of devices by specifying location, process association, device group, network, or any combination thereof. If you want to reset the limit of a given dimension, simply click on the dimension's name (for example, click on "Location" if you want to reset a location filter).

Below the context scope you can filter the output in respect to device lifecycle stage (planned, installed, testing etc.). You can also select "Unidentified" if you want unidentified devices to show in the device listing. Unidentified devices are devices about only very basic details such as an IP or MAC address are known.

Chart area

The chart area visualizes high-level stats about top vendors, device types, and models in donut charts.

Command bar

The command bar allows you to execute various commands which for the most part affect the entries that you have selected in the device listing.

Action	Description
Profile	Launches the device profile of the selected entry—your most‑used button, as it presents all information about a device in one place.
Excel Export	Exports the current device list (with all scope and filter restrictions applied) to an Excel spreadsheet.
JSON Export	Exports the current device list (with all scope and filter restrictions applied) to a JSON file.
Add	Manually adds a new device—handy for assets that OTbase Discovery cannot examine automatically.
Clone	Copies an existing entry with most metadata; prompts for a unique device ID. Useful for planning new systems (clone defaults to the “planned” lifecycle stage).
Merge	Merges duplicate entries for the same device, e.g., when separate Asset Discovery nodes identify it in different networks.
Edit	Opens the edit dialog for the selected device, if you have read/write permission.
Remove	Two‑step removal: first click sets lifecycle status to “decommissioned”; second click deletes the data permanently and frees the device ID.
Reset Filters	Clears all terms in the filter bar, restoring the default device listing.
Request Change Case	Opens a change case for the selected devices, provided your permissions include this authority.

Sort and filter bar

You can sort the device listing by any column if you simply click on the column header and you can learn about filtering columns here.

To reset all filters, click the "Reset Filters" button in the command bar.

Device list

The device list contains entries for all devices that match your scope and filter settings.

Color codes indicate the device type at a glance and can be customized to your preference. The default color codes out of the box are as stated:

• Network gear is shown in grey
• Automation gear is shown in violet
• Computers and operator stations are shown in blue
• Laptops are shown in light yellow
• Sensors are shown in bright yellow
• Actuators are shown in red
• Everything else is shown in white.

In order to select an entry, use the left mouse button. You can select multiple entries with Shift-left click and Control-left click.

Note: You can re-arrange the column layout by right-click on the column headers and by drag-and-drop.

 

Device Listing Features

Filter by tags

If tags have been assigned to any device, you can filter for such devices by opening the Filter by tags dialog.

In the lower part of the dialog you see the available tags. If there is a lot of tags, you can filter the selection by inputting text in the Add tag field, which will filter the available tags as you type. Clicking on Filter will close the dialog box and display the results.

Tags can be added to devices in the Edit dialog (see above) if you have read/write permission for inventory entries.

Stored views

Chances are that you will use some filter settings more or less regularly. In this case you can store your settings as views that you can re-load easily. This is what the "Manage Views" button is all about.

After you have filtered and sorted your device list appropriately, click the Manage Views button, which brings up the following dialog.

Here, you can give your view a name and also decide if the view is private or public. If you select public, other users can use the view as well.

In order to load a stored view, open the drop-down right next to Manage Views and select the desired view.

After loading your view, all filter, sort and scope settings will be restored. The scope selector will expand automatically, allowing you to see the scope selections of the view.