Autotask Configuration Items Management

Overview

Configuration Items (CIs) are the backbone of MSP asset management in Autotask. CIs represent any trackable asset—servers, workstations, network devices, software licenses, domains, and more. Proper CI management enables warranty tracking, lifecycle planning, ticket context, and contract-based billing.

CI Status Codes

Status ID	Name	Description	Business Logic
1	Active	Currently in use	Standard operational state
2	Inactive	Not currently in use	May be spare/storage
3	Retired	End of life	Historical record only
4	Missing	Cannot be located	Requires investigation
5	On Order	Procurement in progress	Expected arrival tracking

CI Lifecycle Workflow

code

On Order (5) ────> Active (1) ────> Inactive (2) ────> Retired (3)
                      │                    ↑
                      └────────────────────┘
                      (temporary deactivation)

      Active (1) ────> Missing (4) ────> (investigation)
                            │
                            ├──> Active (1)    (found)
                            └──> Retired (3)   (write-off)

Configuration Item Field Reference

Core Identification Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`id`	int	System	Auto-generated unique identifier
`referenceTitle`	string(100)	Yes	Primary name/identifier
`referenceNumber`	string(50)	No	Serial number or reference
`companyID`	int	Yes	Owner company
`companyLocationID`	int	No	Location within company
`configurationItemType`	int	Yes	Type classification
`configurationItemCategoryID`	int	No	Category classification

Hardware Specification Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`productID`	int	No	Link to Autotask product
`serialNumber`	string(100)	No	Manufacturer serial number
`make`	string(50)	No	Manufacturer
`model`	string(100)	No	Model name/number

Network Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`ipAddress`	string(50)	No	Primary IP address
`macAddress`	string(50)	No	MAC address
`hostname`	string(100)	No	Network hostname

Lifecycle Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`isActive`	boolean	System	Active status flag
`installDate`	date	No	When installed/deployed
`purchaseDate`	date	No	When purchased
`warrantyExpirationDate`	date	No	Warranty end date
`endOfLifeDate`	date	No	EOL date from manufacturer
`retirementDate`	date	No	When retired from service
`lastPhysicalLocationDate`	date	No	Last physical audit

Contract & Billing Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`contractID`	int	No	Associated contract
`contractServiceID`	int	No	Service on contract
`contractServiceBundleID`	int	No	Service bundle
`monthlyUnitCost`	decimal	No	Monthly recurring cost
`setupFee`	decimal	No	One-time setup fee
`hourlyRate`	decimal	No	Hourly rate for T&M work

RMM Integration Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
`rmmDeviceID`	int	No	RMM platform device ID
`rmmDeviceUID`	string	No	RMM unique identifier
`rmmDeviceAuditID`	int	No	RMM audit record ID
`rmmDeviceAuditLastUser`	string	No	Last logged-in user from RMM
`rmmDeviceAuditOperatingSystem`	string	No	OS from RMM audit
`rmmDeviceAuditDeviceNetworkAddress`	string	No	IP from RMM

User-Defined Fields

CIs support custom user-defined fields (UDFs) for organization-specific tracking:

•Asset tags
•Cost centers
•Business criticality
•Compliance tags
•Custom lifecycle flags

CI Types

Configuration Item Types classify assets at the highest level:

Type ID	Common Name	Examples
1	Server	Physical servers, VMs, cloud instances
2	Workstation	Desktops, laptops
3	Network Device	Routers, switches, firewalls, APs
4	Printer	Network printers, MFPs
5	Mobile Device	Phones, tablets
6	Software	Licenses, subscriptions
7	Domain	Domain names
8	SSL Certificate	SSL/TLS certificates
9	Cloud Service	SaaS subscriptions
10	Other	Miscellaneous assets

Note: Actual type IDs vary by Autotask instance. Query /v1.0/ConfigurationItemTypes to get your instance's specific values.

Querying Types

http

POST /v1.0/ConfigurationItemTypes/query
Content-Type: application/json

json

{
  "filter": [
    {"field": "isActive", "op": "eq", "value": true}
  ]
}

CI Categories

Categories provide secondary classification within types:

Category Examples	Parent Type	Description
Physical Server	Server	On-premises physical
Virtual Server	Server	VMware, Hyper-V
Cloud Server	Server	AWS, Azure, GCP
Windows Workstation	Workstation	Windows PCs
Mac Workstation	Workstation	Apple devices
Firewall	Network Device	Security appliances
Managed Switch	Network Device	L2/L3 switches
Wireless AP	Network Device	Access points

Category Hierarchy

code

Type: Server
├── Category: Physical Server
│   ├── Rack Mount
│   └── Tower
├── Category: Virtual Server
│   ├── VMware
│   └── Hyper-V
└── Category: Cloud Server
    ├── AWS EC2
    ├── Azure VM
    └── GCP Compute

Type: Network Device
├── Category: Firewall
│   ├── Hardware Firewall
│   └── Virtual Firewall
├── Category: Switch
│   ├── Core Switch
│   └── Access Switch
└── Category: Wireless
    ├── Access Point
    └── Controller

Related Items (CI Relationships)

Related Items establish connections between Configuration Items:

Relationship Types

Relationship	Description	Example
Parent/Child	Hierarchical	VM → Host server
Dependency	Depends on	Application → Database server
Peer	Equal relationship	Clustered servers
Backup	Backup target	Primary → Backup NAS
Network	Network connection	Server → Switch port

Creating Relationships

http

POST /v1.0/ConfigurationItemRelatedItems
Content-Type: application/json

json

{
  "configurationItemID": 12345,
  "relatedConfigurationItemID": 67890,
  "relationshipDescription": "Hosted virtual machines",
  "relationshipTypeID": 1
}

Querying Relationships

json

{
  "filter": [
    {"field": "configurationItemID", "op": "eq", "value": 12345}
  ]
}

DNS Records

Track DNS records associated with CIs:

DNS Record Fields

Field	Type	Description
`configurationItemID`	int	Parent CI
`recordType`	string	A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.
`hostname`	string	Record hostname
`value`	string	Record value
`ttl`	int	Time to live
`priority`	int	Priority (for MX)

Creating DNS Records

http

POST /v1.0/ConfigurationItemDnsRecords
Content-Type: application/json

json

{
  "configurationItemID": 12345,
  "recordType": "A",
  "hostname": "mail.acmecorp.com",
  "value": "192.168.1.100",
  "ttl": 3600
}

Common DNS Tracking Patterns

javascript

// Track all DNS records for a domain CI
const dnsRecords = await queryDnsRecords({
  filter: [
    {field: 'configurationItemID', op: 'eq', value: domainCiId}
  ]
});

// Find CIs with expiring SSL certs
const expiringSSL = await queryCIs({
  filter: [
    {field: 'configurationItemType', op: 'eq', value: SSL_CERT_TYPE},
    {field: 'warrantyExpirationDate', op: 'lte', value: thirtyDaysFromNow}
  ]
});

CI Notes

Attach notes to Configuration Items for documentation:

Creating CI Notes

http

POST /v1.0/ConfigurationItemNotes
Content-Type: application/json

json

{
  "configurationItemID": 12345,
  "title": "Firmware Update Log",
  "description": "Updated to firmware v2.1.4 on 2024-02-15. Resolved memory leak issue.",
  "noteType": 1
}

Note Types

Type	Description	Visibility
1	Internal	MSP only
2	External	Client visible

Billing Product Associations

Link CIs to billing products for recurring revenue:

Association Fields

Field	Type	Description
`configurationItemID`	int	The CI
`productID`	int	Billing product
`quantity`	decimal	Quantity units
`unitPrice`	decimal	Price per unit
`effectiveDate`	date	Billing start date

Creating Billing Association

json

{
  "configurationItemID": 12345,
  "productID": 999,
  "quantity": 1,
  "unitPrice": 49.99,
  "effectiveDate": "2024-02-01"
}

API Patterns

Creating a Configuration Item

http

POST /v1.0/ConfigurationItems
Content-Type: application/json

Server Example:

json

{
  "companyID": 12345,
  "referenceTitle": "ACME-DC-SQL01",
  "referenceNumber": "SN-ABC123456",
  "configurationItemType": 1,
  "configurationItemCategoryID": 3,
  "make": "Dell",
  "model": "PowerEdge R750",
  "serialNumber": "ABC123456789",
  "ipAddress": "192.168.1.50",
  "hostname": "SQL01.acmecorp.local",
  "installDate": "2024-01-15",
  "purchaseDate": "2024-01-01",
  "warrantyExpirationDate": "2027-01-01",
  "isActive": true
}

Workstation Example:

json

{
  "companyID": 12345,
  "referenceTitle": "ACME-WS-JSmith",
  "configurationItemType": 2,
  "make": "Dell",
  "model": "Latitude 5540",
  "serialNumber": "XYZ789012345",
  "rmmDeviceAuditLastUser": "jsmith@acmecorp.com",
  "purchaseDate": "2024-02-01",
  "warrantyExpirationDate": "2027-02-01",
  "isActive": true
}

Query Patterns

All active CIs for a company:

json

{
  "filter": [
    {"field": "companyID", "op": "eq", "value": 12345},
    {"field": "isActive", "op": "eq", "value": true}
  ],
  "includeFields": ["Company.companyName"]
}

CIs with expiring warranties (next 90 days):

json

{
  "filter": [
    {"field": "warrantyExpirationDate", "op": "isNotNull"},
    {"field": "warrantyExpirationDate", "op": "lte", "value": "2024-05-15"},
    {"field": "warrantyExpirationDate", "op": "gte", "value": "2024-02-15"},
    {"field": "isActive", "op": "eq", "value": true}
  ]
}

Servers by type and location:

json

{
  "filter": [
    {"field": "configurationItemType", "op": "eq", "value": 1},
    {"field": "companyLocationID", "op": "eq", "value": 99}
  ]
}

CIs without RMM integration:

json

{
  "filter": [
    {"field": "rmmDeviceID", "op": "isNull"},
    {"field": "isActive", "op": "eq", "value": true},
    {"field": "configurationItemType", "op": "in", "value": [1, 2]}
  ]
}

Updating a Configuration Item

http

PATCH /v1.0/ConfigurationItems
Content-Type: application/json

Retire an asset:

json

{
  "id": 12345,
  "isActive": false,
  "retirementDate": "2024-02-15"
}

Update warranty information:

json

{
  "id": 12345,
  "warrantyExpirationDate": "2028-01-01"
}

Common Workflows

Asset Onboarding

•Create CI with basic info
•Set type and category for classification
•Link to company location
•Record warranty dates
•Create relationships (if part of infrastructure)
•Associate billing (if recurring)
•Sync with RMM for ongoing monitoring

Warranty Tracking Report

javascript

async function getExpiringWarranties(daysAhead = 90) {
  const futureDate = new Date();
  futureDate.setDate(futureDate.getDate() + daysAhead);

  const cis = await queryCIs({
    filter: [
      {field: 'warrantyExpirationDate', op: 'isNotNull'},
      {field: 'warrantyExpirationDate', op: 'lte', value: futureDate.toISOString().split('T')[0]},
      {field: 'isActive', op: 'eq', value: true}
    ],
    includeFields: ['Company.companyName']
  });

  return cis.map(ci => ({
    name: ci.referenceTitle,
    company: ci.companyName,
    expires: ci.warrantyExpirationDate,
    daysRemaining: Math.ceil(
      (new Date(ci.warrantyExpirationDate) - new Date()) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24)
    )
  })).sort((a, b) => a.daysRemaining - b.daysRemaining);
}

Lifecycle Planning

javascript

function calculateAssetAge(ci) {
  if (!ci.purchaseDate) return null;

  const purchase = new Date(ci.purchaseDate);
  const now = new Date();
  const ageYears = (now - purchase) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24 * 365);

  // Standard lifecycle recommendations
  const lifecycles = {
    server: 5,
    workstation: 4,
    networkDevice: 7,
    printer: 5
  };

  const expectedLife = lifecycles[ci.typeCategory] || 5;
  const remainingLife = expectedLife - ageYears;

  return {
    ageYears: Math.round(ageYears * 10) / 10,
    expectedLife,
    remainingLife: Math.round(remainingLife * 10) / 10,
    status: remainingLife <= 0 ? 'REPLACE' :
            remainingLife <= 1 ? 'PLAN_REPLACEMENT' :
            'HEALTHY'
  };
}

RMM Sync Verification

javascript

async function findUnmatchedAssets(companyId) {
  const cis = await queryCIs({
    filter: [
      {field: 'companyID', op: 'eq', value: companyId},
      {field: 'isActive', op: 'eq', value: true},
      {field: 'configurationItemType', op: 'in', value: [1, 2]} // Servers, workstations
    ]
  });

  return {
    withRMM: cis.filter(ci => ci.rmmDeviceID),
    withoutRMM: cis.filter(ci => !ci.rmmDeviceID),
    coverage: `${Math.round((cis.filter(ci => ci.rmmDeviceID).length / cis.length) * 100)}%`
  };
}

Error Handling

Common API Errors

Code	Message	Resolution
400	CompanyID required	All CIs must have a company
400	Invalid configuration type	Query ConfigurationItemTypes first
400	Duplicate reference number	Reference numbers must be unique
404	Configuration item not found	Verify CI ID exists
409	Cannot delete active CI	Retire or inactivate first

Validation Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
ReferenceTitle required	Missing name	Add referenceTitle
Invalid IP format	Bad IP address	Use valid IPv4/IPv6
Invalid date format	Wrong date format	Use YYYY-MM-DD
Category not valid for type	Mismatched category	Check type/category relationship

Best Practices

•Standardize naming - Use consistent referenceTitle format (e.g., COMPANY-TYPE-NAME)
•Track serial numbers - Enable warranty lookups and asset verification
•Set warranty dates - Proactive renewal planning
•Link to RMM - Enable automated inventory sync
•Document relationships - Map infrastructure dependencies
•Regular audits - Verify CI accuracy quarterly
•Use categories - Enable meaningful reporting
•Track purchase dates - Lifecycle planning
•Associate contracts - Enable billing automation
•Maintain DNS records - Track hosted services

Related Skills

•Autotask Tickets - Link tickets to CIs
•Autotask Contracts - Contract associations
•Autotask CRM - Company and location management
•Autotask API Patterns - Query builder and authentication