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Hardware Analysis by Attribute

xAssets IT Asset Management User Guide
Asset Inventory

Hardware Analysis by Attribute

The Inventory Queries tab on the Asset Inventory Dashboard provides a library of pre-built queries that let you analyse your hardware estate by specific attributes such as CPU speed, memory, disk size, and manufacturer. This page describes each query and how to use them for hardware planning and analysis.

Accessing Hardware Queries

Click the Inventory Queries tab at the top of the Asset Inventory Dashboard. The queries are organised into three columns. The Hardware column in the centre contains the hardware-specific queries:

TODO Screenshot: ClickMenu "Asset Inventory Dashboard" | Pause 1000 | ClickItem "//b[text()='Inventory Queries']" | Pause 2000 | PrintScreen "itam-asset-inventory-hardware-analysis-by-attribute"

Available Hardware Queries

Query What It Shows Common Use
Assets by Manufacturer and Model Groups assets by hardware manufacturer (e.g., Dell, Lenovo, HP) and model Standardisation planning, vendor negotiations
Computers by CPU Speed Groups computers by processor speed Identifying machines that may need upgrading for new software requirements
Computers by Memory Groups computers by installed RAM Highlighting machines with insufficient memory for current workloads
Computers by Disk Size Groups computers by total disk capacity Capacity planning and identifying undersized storage
Computers by Disk Space Groups computers by available free disk space Spotting machines running low on storage before they cause problems
Computers by Domain Name Groups computers by their Active Directory domain Network segmentation analysis, identifying machines in the wrong domain
Assets by IP Subnet Groups assets by network subnet Network planning, segmentation review, security zone mapping
Cloud Assets Lists assets discovered from cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) Cloud inventory management and cost tracking
Computers by Firewall Rule Groups computers by their firewall configuration Security compliance checking

Running a Query

  1. Click any query name to run it. The results appear as a grouped table with a chart:

TODO Screenshot: ClickMenu "Asset Inventory Dashboard" | Pause 1000 | ClickItem "//b[text()='Inventory Queries']" | Pause 1000 | ClickItem "//b[text()='Assets by Manufacturer and Model']" | Pause 2000 | PrintScreen "itam-asset-inventory-hardware-analysis-by-attribute-2"

  1. From the query results you can:
    • Click a chart segment or tree item to drill down into a specific group (e.g., click "Dell" to see only Dell assets).
    • Click an asset description to open the Edit Asset dialog and view the full details for that machine. See Discovered Data for a Single Asset.
    • Use the Format button in the top-right corner to change the display format (chart, table, or both).
    • Export the results using the View and Export link for further analysis in a spreadsheet.

Classification Queries

The Classification column on the left provides queries that group assets by organisational attributes rather than hardware attributes:

  • Assets by Category, Location, Department, Cost Centre, Status, Custodian, Supplier, and Company.

These are useful for answering questions like "How many assets does each department have?" or "Which locations have the most equipment?"

Software and Health Queries

The right-hand column covers software and health:

Query What It Shows
Computers by Operating System Groups by OS name and version -- useful for tracking OS migration progress
Computers by Operating System - Fully Discovered Shows only computers where discovery completed successfully, excluding partial results
Computers by Patch Identifies machines missing critical updates -- important for security compliance
Computers by Installed Software Groups machines by what software is installed
Assets by Health Issue Lists assets with active health alerts requiring attention
Computers by Assigned Software License Shows licence assignment coverage across your estate

Analysis of software data in more depth is covered in the Software Licencing chapter.

Custom Queries

If the built-in queries do not cover your needs, administrators can create custom queries from Admin > Queries. Custom queries can group, filter, and chart any combination of asset fields, including discovered hardware attributes and custom specification data. See the Configuration Guide for details on building queries.

Tip: Hardware queries are particularly useful during refresh planning. Run "Computers by Memory" and "Computers by CPU Speed" to identify machines below your minimum specification threshold, then use the results to build a business case for replacement.

Tip: Export query results to Excel for further analysis. The View and Export link includes all records in the result set, not just the current page.

Tip: Save time by bookmarking frequently used queries. Your administrator can also add commonly used queries to dashboard tabs or menu items for quick access.