Configuring computer properties

Add a custom property, change its evaluation period and relevance clause, or remove it.

Before you begin

You need custom content rights and write access to the site that stores the property.

About this task

A property defines the data that the BigFix agent collects, how often it evaluates the data, and the relevance clause that returns the value. From the Properties tab you can create custom global properties and edit custom global and default properties.

Note: You cannot configure analysis properties or reserved properties from the Properties tab. The tab lists them as read-only. To configure an analysis property, edit the analysis that contains it. For more information, see Editing and deleting an analysis.

Procedure

  1. Expand Explore in the side navigation, select Analyses, and then select the Properties tab.
    The Properties table lists every property with its status, site, parent analysis, evaluation period, and category.
  2. To create a custom global property, select Add property.

    1. In Property name (required), enter a name for the property.
    2. Optional: From Category, select a category that groups the property.

      Select the field to open the list, and then select one of the following categories: Hardware, Operating System, Software, Network, Ownership, Organizational, Lifecycle, Operational, Security, or Compliance. The category appears in the Category column of the Properties table.

    3. From Evaluate (required), select how often the agent evaluates the property.

      The list provides Every Report, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, 2 days, 7 days, and 30 days. The default is Every Report.

      Note: Frequent evaluation returns fresher data but adds load on the device. Use a longer period for values that change rarely.
    4. In Relevance clause (required), enter the relevance expression that returns the value.

      The editor numbers each line and applies syntax colouring to the expression, so that keywords, operators, and string values are easier to tell apart.

    5. Select Add property.
  3. To change a custom global property or a default property, select its name in the Properties table.

    The Property panel opens on the right and shows the Property name, Category, Evaluate, and Relevance clause fields. If you select an analysis property or a reserved property, the panel shows the values as read-only.

  4. Update the fields, and then select Save changes.
    Note: The Save changes button stays dimmed until you change a value. Select Cancel to close the panel without saving.
  5. Optional: To remove the property, select Delete in the panel.
  6. To change the properties of an analysis, open the analysis details page and select Edit analysis.

    The Edit analysis wizard opens with the same Details, Scope, and Properties steps that you use to create an analysis. Select Next to reach the Properties step, add or remove properties, and then select Update Analyses. To remove the analysis and its properties, select the delete icon on the analysis detail page, and then confirm the deletion. For more information, see Editing and deleting an analysis.

Results

The Properties table shows the updated evaluation period and relevance clause. Devices report the new values after the next agent evaluation.

What to do next

To share the collected values, see Exporting and sharing analysis results.