Extra Data Fields

1. Overview
2. Adding Extra Data Fields
3. Setting Default Values for Extra Data Fields
4. Deleting Default Values
5. Deleting Extra Data Fields
6. Extra Data Field Sample Usage
7. Default Extra Data Fields
8. Document Revision History

Overview

Extra Data fields serve multiple purposes.  They can be used internally for extra data recording or can be indexed and used externally.  These extra data fields can be used in creating scripts and searches.  For example, you can create an extra data field to track old PCs.  With this checked, these old PCs can be part of an auto-join group to automatically place them in a selected group.  This is useful if you need to segregate them from certain software installs or updates.  Additionally, custom commands can populate these extra data fields with return data.

All extra data field properties are delivered to the remote agent when the agent refreshes its configuration. Extra data fields will be stored in the following files: CliendEdf.ini, LocationEdf.ini and ComputerEdf.ini with the values encrypted. For example, each of your clients has their own licensed copy of backup software that interfaces with LabTech. Each of these backup software products may need more information than another backup product. Extra data fields at the client, location and computer level allow any plugins that need this data to retrieve and use this information. This can be overridden by creating a 'TransmitExtraDataAndProperties' property with a value of '1'. This will not disable the LabTech web service from transmitting properties/extra data fields to remote agents. Instead, the service will transmit an empty list, which will in effect delete all existing properties/extra data fields from the agent.

NOTE: Extra data fields are available via LabTech replacements using the token '{%^qualifier:fieldname^%} where the qualifier is one of the following: e: Computer Extra Data field, el: Location Extra Data field, ec: Client Extra Data field or tp: Template Property. For example, to access the Location property Local Share, use the following: {%^el:LocalShare^%}.

Extra Data Fields can be added to the following screens:

• Computers:  Computer > Info tab
• Locations:  Location > Info tab
• Clients:  Client > Info tab
• Probes:  Computer > Network Probe tab
• Network Device:  Network > specific device > Main tab
• Tickets: Tickets > specific ticket > Ticket Data tab
• Groups:  Groups > specific group > Info tab

NOTE: Extra data fields used in groups can only be used in scripts and are not available to searches.

Adding Extra Data Fields

1. From the Control Center, select Dashboard > Config > Configurations > Additional Fields.
   Figure 1: System Dashboard > Config > Configurations > Additional Fields
   Extra data fields are grouped by category:  Computers, Locations, Clients, Probes, Network Device, Tickets and Groups. 
2. Enter the Name of the extra data field (e.g., Old PCs).  Please note that '\' cannot be used in extra data field names.
3. Enter the Sort order of the extra data field, if desired.  This will determine where it appears in relation to the other extra data fields.
4. Select the Data Screen where this extra data field should appear from the drop-down.  Available options are: Computers, Locations, Clients, Probes, Network Device, Tickets and Groups.
5. Select the Uneditable check box if you do not want the extra data field to be editable.
6. Select the Section if this extra data field should be grouped with other existing extra data fields (e.g., Computer Role, Exclusions, etc.).  If a group is not selected, the extra data field will appear under the Default tab.

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   NOTE: The Collapsed and No Break check box are not in use at this time.

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7. Select the Field type (text, check or combo) from the drop-down. 
8. Enter a ToolTip describing the field if 'Text' or 'Check' was chosen for the Field Type or enter the Combo Fill value in the following format: OPTION1~OPTION~OPTION3|TOOLTIP|Field Type. If using a SQL query, enter a tilde (~) followed by the SQL text. Note that all values can be left blank and will be ignored, if desired.
   

   The Field Type indicates if the Extra Data Field is a regular data field, a warning data field (indicated as bold) or a required field (indicated by red).  See below.
   

9. Click Save to save the field.  The extra data field should now display on the appropriate screen. 

 

Setting Default Values for Extra Data Fields

Default values can be assigned to extra data fields for whenever a value has not been set.  These values are very powerful as they provide a mechanism to configure scripts and expansions with settings that apply to everything and then you can go through the items and make exceptions. 

NOTE: Default values are refreshed at the same time regular extra data fields are for searches (every six minutes).

1. From the Control Center, select Dashboard > Config > Additional Field Defaults.
   Figure 3: Additional Field Defaults
   
2. Select the appropriate extra data field category:  Computers, Locations, Clients, Probes, Network Devices, Tickets or Groups. When one of these tabs is selected, additional tabs will display that are associated to the selected category.
3. Select the appropriate sub-tab.  For example, if you want to set the default health report to the full daily report for all of your clients, select the Clients tab, then Daily Health Check tab.
   Figure 4: Sample Default Value
   
4. Enter the desired default value(s).  Click Save Additional Information to save the default values.  The changes will take effect immediately.  The following example shows that this client was updated with the default value.
   Figure 5: Extra Data Field Populated with Default Value
   
   

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   NOTE:   When you open any screen that holds these extra data fields, if any of the values have not been set manually, the default value (if any) will populate the field.  You will not know if the value that appears was manually entered or if the default value was assigned.  The only way to know is to delete the value using the Delete button and re-open the screen to see if the value changed.

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5. If the default value that you created does not apply to all, you can open the individual item and manually change the value.   If, at any time you want the default value to apply to this item as well, simply hit the field's associated Delete button and it will be updated with the default value.

Deleting Default Values

You have the option to delete the default values; however, be aware that if you delete the default value and it is currently associated with a client, location, group, etc.  it will also remove it from that client, location, group, etc. and may cause your scripts, ticketing policies, antivirus, etc. to not function properly or at all.  

1. From the Control Center, select Dashboard > Config > Additional Field Defaults.
   Figure 6: Additional Field Defaults
   
2. Select the appropriate extra data field category:  Computers, Locations, Clients, Probes, Network Devices, Tickets or Groups. When one of these tabs is selected, additional tabs will display that are associated to the selected category.
3. Select the appropriate sub-tab.  For example, if you want to delete the full daily health report for all of your clients to change to another version, select the Clients tab, then Daily Health Check tab.
   Figure 7: Sample Default Value
   
4. Click the X button associated with the extra data field you want to remove.  To remove all values from all tabs, click Delete All Values or to remove all values from this tab only, click Delete Values on Tab.

Deleting Extra Data Fields

There may be times when you want to delete an extra data field because it is no longer in use.   You have the option to delete them; however, be very careful.  If you delete an extra data field that is in use by a script, your script will no longer function. 

IMPORTANT:   Be very careful deleting extra data fields because if they are being used by scripts, the scripts will no longer function.

1. From the Control Center, select Dashboard > Config > Additional Fields.
   Figure 8: System Dashboard > Config > Configurations > Additional Fields
   
2. Right-click on the extra data field to remove and click Delete.  It will be immediately removed and will not ask you for confirmation. 

Extra Data Field Sample Usage

The following screens will show you an example of how an extra data field can be used in a script.  For our example, we will use the Daily Health Report.  The Daily Health Report uses several extra data fields to differentiate between report types, determine if the daily health check script ran, the action to perform in the event of a failure, etc. 

The first screen shows the extra data field 'Workstation Failed Action' has been added to the Additional Fields tab.  Note that 'Workstation Failed Action' appears under the Client tab and is in the 'Daily Health Report' Section.

Figure 9:  Extra Data Fields

Because the 'Workstation Failed Action' is associated with 'Clients' and is in the Daily Health Check section, you can find this extra data field on a specific client's Info screen as shown by the following example. 

Figure 10: Client's Info Screen - Workstations Failed Action Extra Data Field

The Workstations Failed Action field has a drop-down menu to select the appropriate action (Do Nothing, Record Stat, Raise Alert, Create Ticket) when a workstation fails.  (These options were set up in the configuration when adding a new extra data field).

Now, in the Daily Health Check script, the highlighted statement says to set the action to what is contained in the extra data field 'Workstations Failed Action'.  By using the extra data fields, this allows different clients to have different outcomes based on what is set up in their Info tab. 

Figure 11: Daily Health Check Script - Extra Data Field Example

Default Extra Data Fields

LabTech comes pre-configured with some default Extra Data Fields and may vary depending on the version of LabTech. To see the available default Extra Data Fields and their descriptions, select Dashboard > Config > Configurations > Additional Fields.

Document Revision History