Navigating 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 Listing

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.

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

• Profile launches the device profile of the selected entry. This is the button that you will use most often, since a device profile shows all the information related to a given entry in the most comprehensive form.
• Excel Export will export the device listing that you see (i.e. with all given scope and filter restrictions) as an Excel spreadsheet.
• Add allows you to manually add a new device. This can be useful for devices that cannot be examined using OTbase Discovery.
• Clone clones an existing entry with most of its metadata. You are always prompted to input a new device ID for clones since the device ID must always be unique. Cloning devices can be helpful if you want to use OTbase for planning purposes, i.e. specifying the configuration of a new system. By default, the clone will be assigned the "planned" lifecycle stage.
• Merge lets you merge duplicate entries for the same device. Duplicate entries can occur when a device is identified independently by separate Asset Discovery nodes, for example because the device is hosted in multiple networks.
• Edit launches the edit dialog for the selected device, if you have read/write permission for the device.
• Remove removes a device from the inventory listing. The removal process is a two-step process. When you click Remove for the first time, the device's lifecycle status is set to decommissioned. When you display the entry with decommissioned devices on and remove it again, all device data is actually removed from the database, and the device ID can be re-used. Decommissioned entries allow you to still access the configuration details of devices, should the need evolve at some point in time.
• Reset Filters resets any filters that you may have set in the filter bar. It's just a more convenient way to revert to the default listing without having to remove all filter terms individually.
• Request Change Case opens a change case for the selected devices, if 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.

In order to filter list entries in any column, input your filter term in the filter line of that column. Output will be filtered as you type. If you want to filter for a string contained within column text, preceed your search string with a percent sign ("%"). For number fields you can use "<" and ">" to limit the output to values smaller than or greater than the filter value.

You can use filters in multiple columns simultaneously.

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:

• 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.

For location, process association and device group, only the last leaf of the tree is shown. The full tree is displayed in a tooltip when you hover the mouse over the field value. If you want to filter by either of these variables, you may want to use the scope limiter (see above).

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" edit 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 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.