About device inventory fields
Dynamic fields allow you to add site-specific custom fields to device inventory, jobs, policies, templates, rules and other application components. The following types of dynamic fields are available:
- User assigned: Field values are assigned by the user. The field types include date, integer, text, single-select menu, and multi-select menu.
- System assigned: Fields are assigned through automated means, not manually by users. Automated means include device import, custom actions, and web services API.
- Auto derived: Applies only to device inventory. The field derives its value from the device Name or Host Name/IP Address. For example, if the first three characters of a host name is the device's type, you can parse these characters to populate a Type dynamic field.
- Configuration profiled: Applies only to device inventory. The field derives its value based on captured or detected attributes in the device's current Running configuration. Queries are defined to detect and/or extract attributes to assign a field value.
For each dynamic field you can specify whether it appears in the relevant component list (for example, the Device list). You can also set the following additional settings for the field in the list:
- Whether you can sort the list by the individual field
- Whether you can filter the list by the individual field
- Whether the field has a default value
Inventory field definitions
For each managed device, TrueSight Network Automation maintains a device inventory record that tracks various attributes. These attributes consist of fixed fields and dynamic fields.
Fixed fields are delivered standard with the Network Automation system. Values for read/write fixed fields are assigned by the user and by the device import task. Values for read-only fixed fields (for example, Model, OS Image, Last Snapshot date/time, hardware inventory) are discovered or set by Network Automation.
Dynamic fields are created by the system administrator (Admin > System Admin > Dynamic Fields) for fields unique to your site. User-assigned dynamic fields are populated by the user and by the device import task. System assigned dynamic fields are assigned through automated means, not manually by users. Automated means include device import, custom actions, and web services API. Configuration profiled dynamic fields are populated by the Network Automation system based on queries against the Running configuration. Derived dynamic fields are populated by parsing the device's name or host name/IP address.
The Device Attributes configuration captures and tracks changes to the fixed fields and the user-assigned and system-assigned dynamic fields.
Related topic