Search for assets
BMC FootPrints Asset Core provides a means to search the database for assets. A search for assets can be initiated either from the FootPrints homepage Quick Search or from a create or edit issue page. The asset search field is not available in the details view of an issue page. On an issue page, the search field is located on the Asset Information tab by default, but the FootPrints Workspace administrator can change the location of the field, so agents may find it on a different tab or section.
On the FootPrints homepage, to initiate a search for assets, select BMC FootPrints Asset Core using the down arrow next to the Quick Search field, then enter the keywords and click the Search button. Regardless of whether the search is initiated on the homepage or the issue page, the results are the same. However, a search from the homepage cannot be associated with an issue. For searches from an issue page only, an agent can select an asset on the search results page and associate it with the issue; asset data from the selected asset is entered into the corresponding fields on the Asset Information tab or section.
Search Rules
The rules for searching the assets database are as follows:
- Searches are not case sensitive.
- Wildcards can be used: use ? for a single missing character and * for one or more missing characters.
- Wildcards must be used to match a substring within an alphanumeric string. For example, "manage" will not match "management" but "manage*" will match it.
- Use quotation marks (") around a text sequence to indicate that everything within the quotes must be matched exactly as it appears.
- Boolean searches are supported. Details on Boolean search rules are described below.
- Specific fields can be searched using the following syntax:
alias::keyword
Note the use of two colons. For example if you want to find only assets that are running on the operating system Windows 2003 you can specify the alias “os” combined with the text “2003” by searching for the following: os::2003
Search Syntax
The following fields can be searched. They refer to either a device, a user, or financial asset management data:
Parameter | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
name | The name of the device | scotty.enterprise.com, PC1, M60-ITA. |
os | The name of the operating system composed of its name, major version, minor version, revision, and build numbers | Microsoft Windows XP Professional 32 bit 5.1 rev:Service Pack 3 build:2600 |
fpac | The agent version, composed of its major version, minor version, revision, and build numbers | 10.0.0 build:100415c |
ip | The IP address in its dotted notation | 194.50.68.255 |
name | The name of the device | scotty.enterprise.com, PC1, M60-ITA. |
os | The name of the operating system composed of its name, major version, minor version, revision, and build numbers | Microsoft Windows XP Professional 32 bit 5.1 rev:Service Pack 3 build:2600 |
fpac | The agent version, composed of its major version, minor version, revision, and build numbers | 10.0.0 build:100415c |
ip | The IP address in its dotted notation | 194.50.68.255 |
domain | The domain name of the device | LABNET\PC2: |
netbios | The NetBIOS name of the device -- this field is not applicable for Linux and Mac OS devices | M60-ITA |
macaddress | The MAC (hardware address of the device) | 00:01:02:AF:7D |
serialnumber | The serial number of the hard disk of the device | 0001657879 |
type | The topology type of the device | master or client |
currentuser | The name of the user who was logged when the last hardware inventory was generated | LABNET\Administrator |
user | The name of the user who was logged when the last hardware inventory was generated | LABNET\Administrator |
security | ||
vendor | The name of the vendor of the asset | |
po | The purchase order number of the asset | |
support | The name of the support provider of the asset | |
dept | The name of the department to which the asset belongs | |
sku | The SKU vendor name of the asset | |
status | The current life cycle status of the asset | |
contact | The name of the administrator to contact for anything concerning the asset | |
owner | The name of the user of the asset |
If a search is performed without specifying the field, many entries are searched in the assets database and the results may be very broad. For example, a search for "sql" would match any software data containing the term "Microsoft SQL Server". A search for "512" would match any hardware data containing the term "512 Mb (Physical Memory)". However, a search for "sql" would not return "MySQL" in the results, nor would a search for "512" return "512Mb" in the results. This is because the search would only match the string where there are blank spaces on either side of it. A search for "*sql" would return any results containing "MySQL" and a search for "512*" would return any results containing "512Mb".
Boolean Search Rules
A Boolean search request consists of a group of words, phrases, or macros linked by connectors such as AND and OR that indicate the relationship between them. The following table provides examples of the Boolean expressions supported by asset searches.
Boolean Connector | Example Expression | Description of the Results |
|---|---|---|
and | apple and pear | Both words must be present. |
or | apple or pear | Either word can be present. |
not | apple and not pear | Only "apple" must be present. |
w/ | apple w/5 pear | "Apple" must occur within five words of "pear". |
pre/ | apple pre/5 pear | "Apple" must occur five or fewer words before "pear". |
not w/ | apple not w/5 pear | "Apple" must not occur within five words of "pear". |
name contains | name contains smith | The field name must contain "smith" |
w/X xfirstword | apple w/5 xfirstword | "Apple" must occur in the first five words. |
w/X xlastword | apple w/5 xlastword | "Apple" must occur in the last five words. |
Multiple Boolean connectors can be used with a single search. For example:
- apple and pear not orange
If you use more than one connector, use parentheses to indicate the precise search. For example:
- apple and pear or orange
could mean
- (apple and pear) or orange
or it could mean
- apple and (pear or orange)
Search Results
When a search is successfully executed, the results are displayed in a pop-up window. The choice of columns displayed in the pop-up window is fixed and cannot be configured from FootPrints, but you can change the column order and sort direction. When the search is executed, it searches columns that may not be displayed in the search results. Consequently, you might, for example, search for "Microsoft SQL" and not see the term "SQL" in any of the results. This is because the term may have been present in a column that was searched but is not displayed in the results. If a search results in no matches, that information is displayed.
The columns displayed in the Search Results are:
- Device Name
- Device Type
- Serial Number
- IP Address
- MAC Address
- Domain
- User
- Operating System
Associate a Record with an Issue
To associate an asset record with an issue (and populate the corresponding Asset Information fields with asset data), highlight the asset in the Search window and click the Select Asset button.