Create collections in System Center 2012
Configuration Manager to represent logical groupings of users
or devices. You can use collections to help you perform many tasks
including application management, deploying compliance settings, or
installing software updates. You can also use collections to manage
groups of client settings or use them with role-based
administration to specify the resources that an administrative user
can access. Configuration Manager contains several built-in
collections. For more information, see Introduction to
Collections in Configuration Manager.
 Note |
| A collection cannot contain users and devices. |
The following table lists the rules that you can use to
configure the members of a collection in Configuration Manager.
| Membership rule type |
More information |
|
Direct rule
|
Direct rules let you choose the users or computers that you want
to add as members to a collection. This rule gives you direct
control over which resources are members of the collection. This
membership does not change unless a resource is removed from
Configuration Manager. Configuration Manager must have discovered
the resources or you must have imported the resources before you
can add them to a direct rule collection. Direct rule collections
have a higher administrative overhead than query rule collections
because you must make changes to this collection type manually.
|
|
Query rule
|
Query rules dynamically update the membership of a collection
based on a query that Configuration Manager runs on a schedule. For
example, you can create a collection of users that are a member of
the Human Resources organizational unit in Active Directory Domain
Services. Unlike direct rule collections, this collection
membership is automatically updated when new users are added to or
removed from the Human Resources organizational unit.
|
|
Include collection rule
|
The include collection rule let you include the members of
another collection in a Configuration Manager collection The
membership of the current collection is updated on a schedule if
the membership of the included collection has changed.
| Note |
| You can add multiple include collection rules to a
collection. |
Example: You create a collection that has two include
collection rules. The first include collection rule is for a
collection of laptops and the second include collection rule is for
a collection of desktops. The new collection will contain all the
members in the laptop collection and the desktop collection.
|
|
Exclude collection rule
|
The exclude collection rule let you exclude the members of
another collection from a Configuration Manager collection. The
membership of the current collection is updated on a schedule if
the membership of the excluded collection has changed.
| Note |
| You can add multiple exclude collection rules to a collection.
If a collection includes both include collection and exclude
collection rules and there is a conflict, the exclude collection
rule takes priority over the include collection rule. |
Example: You create a collection that has one include
collection rule and one exclude collection rule. The include
collection rule is for a collection of Dell desktops. The exclude
collection is for a collection of computers that have less than 4
GB RAM. The new collection will contain Dell desktops that have at
least 4 GB RAM.
|
Use the following procedures to help you create collections in
Configuration Manager. You can also import collections that were
created at this or another Configuration Manager site. For
information about how to export collections, see How to Manage
Collections in Configuration Manager.
To create a device collection
-
In the Configuration Manager console, click Assets
and Compliance.
-
In the Assets and Compliance workspace, click
Device Collections.
-
On the Home tab, in the Create group,
click Create Device Collection.
-
On the General page of the Create Device
Collection Wizard, specify the following information:
- Name: Specify a unique name for the
collection.
- Comment: Specify a description for the
collection.
- Limiting collection: Click
Browse to select a limiting collection. The collection that
you are creating will only contain members from the limiting
collection.
-
On the Membership Rules page of the Create
Device Collection Wizard, specify the following
information:
- In the Add Rule list, select the type
of membership rule that you want to use for this collection. You
can configure multiple rules for each collection.
Use the following procedures to configure each membership rule
type.
To configure a direct rule
-
On the Search for Resources page of the
Create Direct Membership Rule Wizard, specify the following
information:
- Resource class: In the list, select
the type of resource you want to search for and add to the
collection. Select from System Resource values to search for
inventory data returned from client computers or Unknown
Computer to select from values returned by unknown
computers.
- Attribute name: In the list, select
the attribute associated with the selected resource class that you
want to search for. For example, if you want to select computers by
their NetBIOS name, select System Resource in the
Resource class list and NetBIOS name in the
Attribute name list.
- Exclude resources marked as obsolete –
If a client computer is marked as obsolete, do not include this
value in the search results.
- Exclude resources that do not have the
Configuration Manager client installed – If the search results
include a resource that does not have a Configuration Manager
client installed, this value will not be displayed in the search
results.
- Value: Enter a value for which you
want to search the selected attribute name. You can use the percent
character % as a wildcard. For example, if you wanted to
search for computers that have a NetBIOS name beginning with ‘M’,
enter M% in this field.
-
On the Select Resources page of the Create
Direct Membership Rule Wizard, select the resources that you
want to add to the collection in the Resources list, and
then click Next.
-
Complete the Create Direct Membership Rule
Wizard.
To configure a query rule
-
In the Query Rule Properties dialog box, specify
the following information:
- Name: Specify a unique name for the
query rule.
- Import Query Statement – Opens the
Browse Query dialog box where you can select a
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager query to
use as the query rule for the collection. For more information
about how to create these queries and some examples, see How to Create Queries in
Configuration Manager.
- Resource class: In the list, select
the type of resource you want to search for and add to the
collection. Select a value from System Resource values to
search for inventory data returned from client computers or
Unknown Computer to select from values returned by unknown
computers.
- Edit Query Statement – Opens the
Query Statement Properties dialog box where you can author a
query to use as the rule for the collection. For more information
about queries, see Queries in Configuration
Manager.
-
Click OK to close the Query Rule
Properties dialog box and to save the query membership
rule.
To configure an include collection
rule
-
In the Select Collections dialog box, select the
collections you want to include in the new collection.
-
Click OK to close the Select Collections
dialog box and to save the include membership rule.
To configure an exclude collection
rule
-
In the Select Collections dialog box, select the
collections you want to exclude from the new collection.
-
Click OK to close the Select Collections
dialog box and to save the exclude membership rule.
- Use incremental updates for this
collection – Select this option to periodically scan for only
new or changed resources from the previous collection evaluation
and update the collection membership with only these resources,
independently of a full collection evaluation. Incremental updates
occur at 10 minute intervals.
 Important |
Collections configured by using query rules that use the
following classes do not support incremental updates:
- SMS_G_System_CollectedFile
- SMS_G_System_LastSoftwareScan
- SMS_G_System_AppClientState
- SMS_G_System_DCMDeploymentState
-
SMS_G_System_DCMDeploymentErrorAssetDetails
-
SMS_G_System_DCMDeploymentCompliantAssetDetails
-
SMS_G_System_DCMDeploymentNonCompliantAssetDetails
- SMS_G_User_DCMDeploymentCompliantAssetDetails
(for collections of users only)
-
SMS_G_User_DCMDeploymentNonCompliantAssetDetails (for collections
of users only)
- SMS_G_System_SoftwareUsageData
- SMS_G_System_CI_ComplianceState
- SMS_G_System_EndpointProtectionStatus
- SMS_GH_System_*
- SMS_GEH_System_*
|
- Schedule a full update on this
collection – Select this option to schedule a regular full
evaluation of the collection membership.
-
Complete the wizard to create the new collection. The
new collection is displayed in the Device Collections node
of the Assets and Compliance workspace.
| Note |
| You must refresh or reload the Configuration Manager console to
see the collection members. However, the members will not appear in
the collection until after the first scheduled update, or you
manually select Update Membership for the collection.
Depending on the complexity of the collection rule and the number
of entries in the Configuration Manager database, it can take a few
minutes for a collection update to complete. |
To create a user collection
-
In the Configuration Manager console, click Assets
and Compliance.
-
In the Assets and Compliance workspace, click
User Collections.
-
On the Home tab, in the Create group,
click Create User Collection.
-
On the General page of the Create User
Collection Wizard, specify the following information:
- Name: Specify a unique name for the
collection.
- Comment: Specify a description for the
collection.
- Limiting collection: Click
Browse to select a limiting collection. The collection you
are creating will only contain members from the limiting
collection.
-
On the Membership Rules page of the Create
User Collection Wizard, specify the following information:
- In the Add Rule list, select the type
of membership rule you want to use for this collection. You can
configure multiple rules for each collection.
Use the following procedures to configure each membership rule
type.
To configure a direct rule
-
On the Search for Resources page of the
Create Direct Membership Rule Wizard, specify the following
information:
- Resource class: In the list, select
the type of resource you want to search for and add to the
collection. Select from User Resource values to search for
user information collected by Configuration Manager or User
Group Resource to search for user group information collected
by Configuration Manager.
- Attribute name: In the list, select
the attribute associated with the selected resource class that you
want to search for. For example, if you want to select users by
their Organizational Unit (OU) name, select User Resource in
the Resource class list and User OU Name in the
Attribute name list.
- Value: Enter a value that you want to
search the selected attribute name for. You can use the percent
character % as a wildcard. For example, if you wanted to
search for users in the Contoso OU, enter Contoso in this
field.
-
On the Select Resources page of the Create
Direct Membership Rule Wizard, select the resources that you
want to add to the collection in the Resources list, and
then click Next.
-
Complete the Create Direct Membership Rule
Wizard.
To configure a query rule
-
In the Query Rule Properties dialog box, specify
the following information:
- Name: Specify a unique name for the
query rule.
- Import Query Statement – Opens the
Browse Query dialog box where you can select a
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager query to
use as the query rule for the collection. For more information
about queries, see Queries in Configuration
Manager.
- Resource class: In the list, select
the type of resource you want to search for and add to the
collection. Select from User Resource values to search for
user information collected by Configuration Manager or User
Group Resource to search for user group information collected
by Configuration Manager.
- Edit Query Statement – Opens the
Query Statement Properties dialog box where you can author a
query to use as the rule for the collection. For more information
about queries, see Queries in Configuration
Manager.
-
Click OK to close the Query Rule
Properties dialog box and to save the query membership
rule.
To configure an include collection
rule
-
In the Select Collections dialog box, select the
collections you want to include in the new collection.
-
Click OK to close the Select Collections
dialog box and to save the include membership rule.
To configure an exclude collection
rule
-
In the Select Collections dialog box, select the
collections you want to exclude from the new collection.
-
Click OK to close the Select Collections
dialog box and to save the exclude membership rule.
- Use incremental updates for this
collection – Select this option to periodically scan for only
new or changed resources from the previous collection evaluation
and update the collection membership with only these resources,
independently of a full collection evaluation. Incremental updates
occur at 10 minute intervals.
| Important |
Collections configured by using query rules that use the
following classes do not support incremental updates:
- SMS_G_System_CollectedFile
- SMS_G_System_LastSoftwareScan
- SMS_G_System_AppClientState
- SMS_G_System_DCMDeploymentState
-
SMS_G_System_DCMDeploymentErrorAssetDetails
-
SMS_G_System_DCMDeploymentCompliantAssetDetails
-
SMS_G_System_DCMDeploymentNonCompliantAssetDetails
- SMS_G_User_DCMDeploymentCompliantAssetDetails
(for collections of users only)
-
SMS_G_User_DCMDeploymentNonCompliantAssetDetails (for collections
of users only)
- SMS_G_System_SoftwareUsageData
- SMS_G_System_CI_ComplianceState
- SMS_G_System_EndpointProtectionStatus
- SMS_GH_System_*
- SMS_GEH_System_*
|
- Schedule a full update on this
collection – Select this option to schedule a regular full
evaluation of the collection membership.
-
Complete the wizard to create the new collection. The
new collection is displayed in the User Collections node of
the Assets and Compliance workspace.
| Note |
| You must refresh or reload the Configuration Manager console to
see the collection members. However, the members will not appear in
the collection until after the first scheduled update, or you
manually select Update Membership for the collection.
Depending on the complexity of the collection rule and the number
of entries in the Configuration Manager database, it can take a few
minutes for a collection update to complete. |
To import a collection
-
In the Configuration Manager console, click Assets
and Compliance.
-
In the Assets and Compliance workspace, click
User Collections or Device Collections.
-
On the Home tab, in the Create group,
click Import Collections.
-
On the General page of the Import Collections
Wizard, click Next.
-
On the MOF File Name page, click Browse
and then browse to the MOF file that contains the collection
information you want to import.
-
Complete the wizard to import the collection. The new
collection is displayed in the User Collections or Device
Collections node of the Assets and Compliance
workspace.
| Note |
| You must refresh or reload the Configuration Manager console to
see the collection members for the newly imported collection. |
See Also
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