How to create a Search Folder based on "Required" criteria...

[jbhaire2004]

I am trying to determine how to best create a Search Folder based on the "Required" criteria. I would like to create a search of all updates, in all categories, that are NOT Expired, NOT Superseded, and that are required by More than 100 machines. The issue that I am having is that the "Required" field appears to be treating the input criteria as text rather than a number so that enteries input as a range or formula are not being interpreted as such. Other than manually entering an entry for ever number over a hundred, I am at a loss.

 

Thanks,

JBHaire2004

[jbhaire2004]

I found a temporary workaround that is getting me a little closer but I still haven't found what I was looking for. By individually entering numbers 1 to 9 in the "Required" criteria field I have managed to avoid returning any unrequired results with a "Required" the value of 0.

 

EDIT:

Now that I am not falling asleep let me elaborate:

 

I was searching for a way to create a "search folder" that would result in updates required by more than X machines. I found a good solution although I had to resign myself to somewhat modifying my original end-goal.

 

I have about 425 clients in my environment. I was hoping to find all updates that were required by 100 or more clients. However, as noted above, the criteria (or filter) applied to the updates' "required" attribute field is being interpreted as text not a number/integer. As such, my tests would indicate that it is not possible to apply formulas or logical equations. (The follwing don't work: ">100" ; "Not equal or less than 100" ; "100-425".)

 

Once I changed my perspective and began to try and understand how to reach my end goal in relation to a text solution, I found I could get closer to creating a search folder with my desired results. If you "add" one at a time: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; you should find that it will return all updates for which the attribute field "required" has a value/data that are equal OR START WITH A BEGINGING CHARACTER OF 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. For example, if "1" is the criteria/filter applied against the attribute field "required", it should return all updates that are required by 1, 100, 141, 1000, or 100000 machines. (May need to verify as a poster on a similiar thread stated that "1" was only returning updates with a value of exactly "1" in the "required" field).

 

This was helpful for me as it returned a manageable number of results opposed to a search folder without the criteria/filter.

When I created a search folder for: Any and All updates, with the criteria of "expired"="no" and "superseded"="no"; I get 18,000+ results.

When I created a search folder for: Any and All updates, with the criteria of "expired"="no" and "superseded"="no" and "required"="1" OR "2" OR "3" OR "4" OR "5" OR "6" OR "7" OR "8" OR "9"; I get 291 results. (The main advantage is that the criteria prevent the return on unneeded updates. No entries will appear in the list where "required"="0").

 

[in theory I could enter every interger between 100 and 425 (the maximum returnable value as it would mean every client in my environment) to accomplish exactly my original desired result; however it just doesn't make any sense to go through that.]