AI Search
AI Search extends the standard xAssets search with natural language understanding and command interpretation. Instead of searching only by exact keywords, you can ask questions in plain language and the system interprets your intent. This page explains how AI Search works, how it differs from regular search, and what kinds of queries it can handle.
Prerequisites
- AI Search must be enabled for your xAssets instance. Contact your administrator if the AI search option is not visible.
- You should be familiar with the standard search functionality (see Finding Assets).
How AI Search Differs from Standard Search
Standard search matches your typed text against asset fields (description, category, location, custodian, computer name). It returns assets where any of these fields contain the search text. This works well for specific lookups — finding an asset by serial number or computer name — but it cannot understand questions or multi-criteria requests.
AI Search adds an interpretation layer:
| Standard Search | AI Search |
|---|---|
| Matches keywords in asset fields | Understands natural language questions |
| Returns assets containing the search text | Returns assets matching the interpreted intent |
| Single-field matching | Can combine multiple criteria in one query |
| Exact text matching | Understands synonyms and related terms |
| Search only | Can interpret commands (e.g., "show me", "how many", "list all") |
Using AI Search
To use AI Search:
- Click the Search box in the toolbar.
- Select the AI Search search type from the dropdown, or type your query and select the AI option when it appears.
- Type your question in natural language.
- Press Enter or click the search button.
The system processes your query, interprets the intent, and returns results.
Examples of AI Search Queries
AI Search can handle a wide range of natural language queries:
Finding Assets
| Query | What It Does |
|---|---|
| "laptops in the London office" | Returns all laptop-category assets with a London location |
| "desktops not seen in 90 days" | Returns desktop assets where the last discovery date is more than 90 days ago |
| "assets assigned to John Smith" | Returns all assets where the custodian is John Smith |
| "servers running Windows Server 2019" | Returns server assets with the specified operating system |
Counting and Summarising
| Query | What It Does |
|---|---|
| "how many laptops do we have?" | Returns a count of laptop-category assets |
| "total value of assets in the IT department" | Returns the sum of asset values for the IT department |
Navigation Commands
| Query | What It Does |
|---|---|
| "show me the software dashboard" | Navigates to the Software Dashboard screen |
| "open settings" | Navigates to the Admin > Settings screen |
| "go to the asset list" | Navigates to the main asset list view |
Tip: You do not need to use special syntax or operators. Write your query as you would ask a colleague. The AI interprets your intent and translates it into the appropriate system query.
How AI Search Processes Queries
When you submit an AI search query, the system follows these steps:
- Intent classification — the AI determines whether your query is a search, a count, a navigation command, or another type of request.
- Entity extraction — the AI identifies asset attributes mentioned in your query (categories, locations, custodians, dates, statuses, etc.).
- Query construction — the AI builds a structured query using the identified entities and intent.
- Execution — the query is executed against the asset database and results are returned.
- Presentation — results are displayed in the standard results grid, or as a summary if the query was a count or aggregation.
If the AI cannot confidently interpret your query, it may ask a clarifying question or fall back to a standard keyword search.
Limitations
AI Search is designed for common asset management queries. Some limitations to be aware of:
- Complex multi-step queries — queries that require multiple sequential operations (e.g., "find all laptops in London and then transfer them to Manchester") are not supported as a single query. Use AI Search to find the assets, then use the appropriate action from the results screen.
- Configuration changes — AI Search does not make changes to system configuration. Commands like "change the depreciation rate" are not supported.
- Historical queries — queries about past states (e.g., "what was the custodian of this asset last month?") may not be supported directly. Use the History tab on individual assets for historical data.
Configuration
AI Search is enabled at the instance level. The following options are available to administrators:
AI Search settings are managed through Admin > Settings. The following options control AI Search behaviour:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| AI Search Enabled | Enables or disables the AI search option in the search dropdown. |
| AI Search Provider | The AI service used for query interpretation. |
Tips
Tip: If AI Search does not return the results you expect, try rephrasing your query with more specific terms. For example, instead of "old computers", try "desktops older than 5 years" or "assets with a purchase date before 2020".
Tip: AI Search and standard search are complementary. Use standard search for quick lookups when you know the exact text, and AI Search for exploratory queries when you are not sure what to search for.
Tip: AI Search supports the same set of asset fields as your search queries. If a field is not included in the search query configuration, AI Search may not be able to match against it. Ask your administrator to add frequently-searched fields to the search query.
Related Articles
- Finding Assets — standard search methods and search types
- Search Results — understanding the results screen
- Selecting Assets — working with search results