Smart Groups

Jamf Pro allows you to create smart groups for managed computers, mobile devices, or users. You can create smart groups based on one or more inventory attributes.

To avoid issues, smart group criteria should be well-defined and avoid using circular recalculations where two smart groups rely on the membership of the other. We recommend you use smart groups for scoping, deployment, and actionable items. For information gathering, queries, and reports, use the advanced search feature.

For more information about inventory attributes that you can base smart groups on, see the following sections:

After creating a smart group, you can view its memberships.

Criteria Operators

The following table lists operators and examples of how they might be used to qualify values:

Operator

Definition

Example

is

Matches the specified string exactly

The criteria "'Computer Name' is 'Test Computer 6'" includes computers with the name "Test Computer 6". By contrast, a computer with the name "Test Computer 7" is not included.

is not

Matches values that do not match the specified string exactly

The criteria "'Display Name' is not 'CEO iPad'" includes all devices except those with the exact display name "CEO iPad". By contrast, a device with the display name "'CEO iPad Old'" is not included.

like

Matches value that contain the specified string

The criteria "'Computer Name' like 'AP Science Mac'" includes computers with names such as "AP Science Mac 1", "AP Science Mac 2", and "AP Science Mac 3".

not like

Matches values that do not contain the specified string

The criteria "'Display Name' not like 'Staff'" includes devices with display names such as "Student A", "Student B", and "Smith Personal iPhone".

matches regex

Matches values that match the specified regular expression (regex). For more information on regex, see the Using Regex with Smart Groups and Advanced Searches article.

The criteria "'Computer Name' matches regex '^LAB-.*$s'" includes computers with names such as "LAB-ART-101", "LAB-CS-101", and "LAB-CS-102".

does not match regex

Matches values that do not match the specified regular expression (regex). For more information on regex, see the Using Regex with Smart Groups and Advanced Searches article.

The criteria "'Display Name' does not match regex '^HS'" includes devices with display names such as "iPad HS loaner" and "11 HS iPad".

And/Or Groupings

If you have multiple criteria, you can use "and/or" groupings to define the relationships between them and create logic that includes the devices you want in your advanced search. The following groupings are available when multiple criteria are used:
  • and—Only devices that fulfill all related criteria will be included in membership.
  • or—Devices that fulfill any of the related criteria will be included in membership.

If more complex logic is necessary to define the relationships between your criteria, you can use the parenthesis pop-ups to group criteria together.

Creating a Smart Group

Requirements

To enable the Send email notification on membership change setting, email notifications must be enabled in Jamf Pro. For more information, see the following:

  1. In Jamf Pro, click Computers , Devices , or Users at the top of the sidebar.
  2. Click Smart Computer Groups, Smart Device Groups, or Smart User Groups.
  3. Click New .
  4. Enter a display name for the group.
  5. To enable email notifications, select the Send email notification on membership change checkbox.
  6. Click the Criteria tab and add criteria to the group:
    1. Click Add .
    2. Click Choose for the criteria you want to add.
      Note:

      Only your 30 most frequently used criteria are listed. To display additional criteria, click Show Advanced Criteria.

    3. Choose an operator from the Operator pop-up menu.
    4. Enter a value in the Value field or browse for a value by clicking Browse .
    5. Repeat steps a through d to add criteria as needed.
      Note:

      Creating a smart group with no criteria will cause all managed computers, mobile devices, or users to be included in the group's membership.

  7. Choose an operator from the And/Or pop-up menus to specify the relationship between criteria.
  8. To group criteria and join multiple operations, choose parentheses from the pop-up menus around the criteria you want to group.
  9. (Optional) If you are creating a smart device group, you can configure the group to send remote commands to mobiles devices when the devices become members of that group. For example, the Set Wallpaper remote command can be configured to automatically set the wallpaper on devices when they become members of the smart group. Click the Automated Management tab and configure remote commands to send to devices that are members of the group.
  10. Click Save .
  11. (Optional) Click View to view a list of group memberships.

Operations in the group take place in the order they are listed (top to bottom).

Group memberships are updated each time the following happens:

  • Computers submit inventory to Jamf Pro and meet or fail to meet the specified criteria.

    Note:

    Some inventory attributes are updated when computers check in rather than when they submit inventory (e.g., Last Check-in). Smart groups containing criteria based on these attributes update memberships each time computers check in.

  • Mobile devices contact Jamf Pro and meet or fail to meet the specified criteria.

  • User information is edited.

Viewing Smart Group Memberships

  1. In Jamf Pro, click Computers , Devices , or Users at the top of the sidebar.
  2. Click Smart Computer Groups, Smart Device Groups, or Smart User Groups.
  3. Click the smart group you want to view memberships for.
  4. Click View .

A list of group memberships is displayed.

Viewing Smart Group Dependencies

You can view dependency reports for smart groups to identify where you are using smart groups in Jamf Pro. This can help you decide how to best use and organize the smart groups in your environment.

  1. In Jamf Pro, click Computers or Devices at the top of the sidebar.
  2. Click Smart Computer Groups, Smart Device Groups, or Smart User Groups.
  3. Click the smart group you want to view dependencies for.
  4. Click the Reports tab.
A table is displayed listing any dependencies of the smart group.

Adding a Smart Group to the Jamf Pro Dashboard

Adding a smart group to the Jamf Pro Dashboard helps you monitor computer, mobile device, or user count based on the criteria selected.

  1. In Jamf Pro, click Computers , Devices , or Users at the top of the sidebar.
  2. Click Smart Computer Groups, Smart Device Groups, or Smart User Groups.
  3. Click the smart group that you want to add to the Jamf Pro Dashboard.
  4. Select the Show in Jamf Pro Dashboard checkbox.
  5. Click the Jamf Pro logo to view the Jamf Pro Dashboard.
  6. Navigate to the Smart Computer Groups, Smart Mobile Device Groups, or Smart User Groups area of the Jamf Pro Dashboard and find the widget for the smart group you added.
  7. Click any item in the widget to view the details.