Smart Lists
Smart Lists are ASCERA's unified inventories of users and devices in your environment. They work by merging one or more source lookups (from connectors or manual uploads) into a single, deduplicated list that stays up to date as your sources change.
ASCERA includes two built-in Smart Lists: Users and Devices. These lists serve as the foundation for user authorization tracking, enriched automation context, and compliance evidence.
How Smart Lists Work
Each Smart List is built from one or more source lookups. Sources can be manually created CSVs or lookups automatically populated by connectors that support lookup syncs.
Merge keys determine which entries across sources refer to the same entity and should be combined. Entries that share a matching value in any configured key field are merged into a single unified entry.
Conflict resolution is handled by source priority. Each source is assigned a numeric priority where a lower number means higher priority. When two sources disagree on a single-value field, the higher-priority source wins. For multi-value fields, all unique values from all sources are combined.
Field enrichment rules can automatically populate fields based on conditions you define. For example, you can assign a service category to any user whose username starts with svc_.
Users Smart List
The Users Smart List is a consolidated inventory of all users in your environment, merged from sources like Active Directory, Azure AD, CrowdStrike, and manual uploads. It supports:
- Authorization tracking: mark users as authorized or unauthorized, and track status over time for audit and reporting.
- Automation enrichment: automations draw from all configured user sources for a complete picture of each user.
- Evidence export: pull a full, merged user inventory for compliance evidence packages.
- Notes and categorization: annotate users with freeform notes and custom categories.
For setup instructions, see Getting Started with User Smart List.
Devices Smart List
The Devices Smart List is a consolidated inventory of all devices in your environment, merged from sources like CrowdStrike, Microsoft Intune, Active Directory, and manual uploads. It provides a single, authoritative view of your device population for use in automations, compliance controls, and reporting.
For setup instructions, see Getting Started with Device Smart List (coming soon).
Key Concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Source Lookups | The individual lookup lists merged into a Smart List. Can be manually created or automatically synced by a connector. |
| Merge Keys | Fields used to match entries across sources and combine them into a single entry. |
| Source Priority | Determines which source wins when two sources have conflicting values for a single-value field. Lower number = higher priority. |
| Multi-value Fields | Fields that combine all unique values from all sources rather than selecting one. |
| Enrichment Rules | Conditions that automatically populate fields in the Smart List after merging. |