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The AMSX Programming Language

xAssets Configuration Guide
Integration and Data Operations with Transformations

The AMSX Programming Language

AMSX (Asset Management Script eXecution) is xAssets' proprietary server-side scripting language for writing data transformation and integration scripts. This page provides an overview of AMSX capabilities and basic syntax. For the complete command reference, contact xAssets support or refer to the xAssets Programmers Guide.

Prerequisites

  • Familiarity with the Transformation Editor and transformation concepts
  • Understanding of SQL basics for database operations
  • Configuration-level access to create or edit transformations with AMSX scripts

Purpose

AMSX enables administrators and integrators to:

  • Query and manipulate database records using SQL
  • Import and export data via HTTP, CSV, XML, and JSON
  • Automate Active Directory, Azure, Intune, and other integrations
  • Create and update xAssets configuration (forms, queries, menus) using XDML blocks
  • Run scheduled batch operations via the xAssets Batch Service
  • Chain multiple operations together in a single script

Where AMSX Scripts Run

Location Description
Transformation editor Scripts are embedded in the SourceQuery field of a transformation, using the "AMSX Script" source type
Scheduled batch jobs Run automatically via the xAssets Batch Service at configured intervals
Menu items Triggered by users from the xAssets menu
REST API Executed via the REST API for external automation
Standalone files Stored as .amsx files in the AMSX scripts folder

Basic Syntax

AMSX is a command-per-line language. Each line is a command. Variables are referenced using %variable% syntax.

// Assign a variable
Set myvar = "Hello World"

// Query the database
Set count = Sql "SELECT count(*) FROM Asset"

// Use the variable
Set result = "There are %count% assets"

Comments

Lines starting with // are comments and are ignored during execution.

Variables

Variables are assigned with Set and referenced with %name%:

Set name = "Server Room"
Set id = Sql "SELECT LocationID FROM Location WHERE LocationName = '%name%'"

Key built-in variables:

Variable Purpose
%result% Output buffer for API responses
%text% Content collected by TEXT/ENDTEXT blocks
%forvariable% Current iteration value in ForEach loops

Control Flow

IF Statements

If %count% > 0 Then
    Set result = "%count% records found"
Else
    Set result = "No records"
End If

Conditions can include SQL expressions:

If exists(select 1 from Asset where CategoryID = 10) Then
    Set result = "Licenses exist"
End If

FOR Loops

Numeric loops iterate through a range:

For i = 1 to 10 step 1
    Set x = Sql "SELECT AssetDesc FROM Asset WHERE AssetID = %i%"
Next

ForEach (Row Iteration)

Process each row from a SQL query result set:

ForEach "SELECT AssetID, AssetDesc FROM Asset WHERE CategoryID = 1"
    Set desc = %AssetDesc%
    // Process each row
EndEach

Inside a ForEach block, each column from the query result is available as a %ColumnName% variable.

SQL Operations

Reading Data

Read a single value from the database:

Set value = Sql "SELECT FieldName FROM Table WHERE ID = 1"

Executing SQL

Execute an update, insert, or delete statement:

SqlExecute "UPDATE Asset SET StatusID = 2 WHERE AssetID = %id%"

Multi-line SQL with TEXT Blocks

Use TEXT/ENDTEXT blocks for long SQL statements:

TEXT
    SELECT a.AssetID, a.AssetDesc, l.LocationName
    FROM Asset a
    JOIN Location l ON a.LocationID = l.LocationID
    WHERE a.CategoryID = 1
ENDTEXT
ExecuteText

Use TEXTEVALUATE / ENDTEXTEVALUATE when you need %variable% substitution within the text block.

HTTP Operations

AMSX can make HTTP requests for API integrations:

Set response = HttpSendNet "https://api.example.com/data", "application/json", ""

The full syntax supports authentication, HTTP method selection (GET, POST, PUT), and custom headers. This is used extensively by the built-in integrations for Azure, Intune, OKTA, and other cloud services.

XDML Data Deployment

AMSX can create and update xAssets configuration objects using XDML blocks. This is the primary mechanism for deploying configuration between environments:

// Create a location
Location
    LocationName: London Office
    LocationAddress1: 123 High Street
END Location

// Create a query with fields
Query
    SavedSelectName: My Custom Report
    Type: SYSTEM
    SecurityCode: PUBLIC
    SubjectID: 1 : Assets
    Query Field
        FieldName: AssetDesc
        DisplayName: Description
        FieldWidth: 240
        FieldPosition: 1
    END Query Field
END Query

To update existing records, include the ID field. Records are matched by name if no ID is specified.

Running Other Transformations

Call other transformations from within an AMSX script:

RunTransform "Active Directory Import"

This allows you to build complex multi-step processes by chaining transformations together.

Common Use Cases

Use Case Typical Commands
Data import from CSV/Excel ForEach with SQL inserts
Active Directory sync HttpSendNet to Graph API + ForEach row processing
Scheduled reports SQL queries + email output
Configuration deployment XDML blocks for forms, queries, menus
Data cleanup ForEach + SqlExecute for bulk updates

Tip: AMSX is a powerful language, but for simple data imports that just map source fields to destination fields, the standard transformation mapping UI (see Source to Destination Data Mapping) is simpler and easier to maintain. Use AMSX when you need conditional logic, HTTP calls, multi-step processing, or operations that cannot be expressed through field mapping alone.