Query - what collections are a PC in?

[legno]

We use PCID's in collections,(System Resource, name), and need to know what collections a PC is in. I'm not very experienced with queries. Can anyone help.

 

[snyderj]

First some basics. A query is a WQL command (like SQL but based on WMI) to present information from the SMS database. A collection is a list of devices based on a query (which can be automatically updated on a regular basis) or a static list. An advertisement references a collection for its list of devices. (By the way, when you create a collection you can point it to use a query, but there no linkage is established. The collection uses a copy of the query.)

Are you looking to figure out every collection that a PC is in? For example, a PC might be in both "All clients" and "All Windows 9x clients". If so, how would knowing this help you (if you don't mind me asking)?

 

[legno]

Well, I only need to know the application collections a PC is in, eg we have collections called Space Gass, and Microstation. I don't need to know if a PC is in All ... collections.
From reading the help, it appears that a collections is a type of Object, and the database can be queried for them, it just doesn't say how.
Thanks,
Legno

 

[snyderj]

Finding what collections a given PC is in is possible, but I don't know an easy way.

I don't know of a way to do it through SMS admin console (except to expand collections and look at the members). You could connect to the database via ODBC and look at dbo_v_Collection to determine class names of potential collection views (e.g. v_CM_RES_COLL_...) then link to these. The view will list the PC name, site code, domain, etc. Does this help?

 

[legno]

Thanks snyderi,
it put me on the right track. I got our database guru to look at the ODBC connectionm, and he wrote an Access macro to do the job.