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Setting up Reference Data

xAssets IT Asset Management User Guide
Integrations and Network Discovery

Setting up Reference Data

Reference data provides the classification framework for your assets -- locations, departments, categories, cost centres, suppliers, and custodians. Setting up reference data before discovery ensures that discovered assets are automatically assigned to the correct organisational structure.

Location Hierarchy

Locations represent the physical places where assets reside. While you can discover the network without setting up locations first, having locations in place enables:

  • Discovery "by location" (scanning all IP ranges associated with a location)
  • Automatic location assignment as assets are loaded into the database
  • Location-based reporting and dashboards

Managing Locations

Navigate to Asset > Location Hierarchy to view and manage locations:

Location Hierarchy menu

Location Hierarchy screen

The location hierarchy can have unlimited depth, although the default Active Directory integration is configured to import four levels.

To create a new location:

  1. Click New at the bottom of the dialog
  2. Enter the location name and details
  3. Set the Parent Location field to position it in the hierarchy
  4. Click OK to save

Additional location attributes (address, building code, floor, etc.) can be recorded by editing the form:

Location edit form with additional attributes

Tip: Locations can also be imported from a spreadsheet or other data source, and can sometimes be imported as part of an asset import that contains location information.

IP Range to Location Mapping

Once locations exist, map IP address ranges to locations so that discovery can assign assets to the correct location automatically.

Navigate to Discover > Prepare > Manage IP Ranges and Locations:

IP Range to Location Mapping menu

IP Range to Location Mapping screen

In the above example:

  • A PC with IP address 10.15.13.66 would be automatically assigned to "Seattle Datacenter"
  • A PC with IP address 10.8.35.77 would be assigned to "North Carolina"

Collection Servers

If a location is served by a separate discovery Collection Server, specify it in the Collection Server column of this screen. This tells the system which Collection Server handles discovery for each IP range.

Other Reference Data

Additional classification data is available from Asset > Other Classification:

Asset Inventory Dashboard

Data Type Purpose
Categories Asset types (Desktop, Laptop, Server, etc.) and category groups (parent classification)
Companies For multi-company installations representing different business entities
Cost Centres Financial classification for cost allocation and budgeting
Departments Departmental reporting and ownership
Locations Physical location of each asset
Custodians Users, technicians, asset owners -- in many installations this stores the entire workforce
Suppliers Vendors who sold or provided the asset
Importance Ratings Risk management classification for business-critical assets
Dependency Types Classification of inter-asset relationships (parent-child)

Further classification data, such as Specification Data collected by discovery, may not appear in this menu but is available for editing from the asset entry screen.

Tips

  • Set up the location hierarchy first, then map IP ranges, then run discovery -- this order gives you the best results
  • If AD integration has already populated locations, review and adjust them before mapping IP ranges
  • More complex location assignment policies can be introduced with further configuration -- consult the Configuration Guide
  • Keep reference data clean and deduplicated -- duplicate locations or departments cause reporting confusion