A Little Helper for Capturing Assets – Using "Filter Objects" in Attribute Settings

[#1]

Hello,

I'd like to share a useful (for me :D) feature in Atlassian Assets (part of Jira Service Management): Attribute Settings, with a special focus on Filter Objects. This is a little helper that makes capturing and managing assets easier by pre-restricting attribute values, improving data quality and reducing errors. I'll explain it step by step and  provide a small example.

What Are Attribute Settings and Filter Objects?

In Atlassian Assets, you can define Object Types to represent your assets (e.g., hardware, software, or locations). Each Object Type has attributes that store data like names, references, or values. Under Attribute Settings, for reference attributes (which link to other objects), you can configure an AQL filter (Assets Query Language). The "Filter Objects" feature allows you to dynamically limit the available options based on other attributes or conditions.

This is especially helpful for hierarchical or dependent data. Instead of users choosing from thousands of objects, the system only shows relevant subsets. For more details, check the official Atlassian documentation:

• Filter attribute values using Assets Query Language (AQL) – A direct guide on setting up AQL filters for attributes.
• Use placeholders to replace information depending on context – Explains dynamic placeholders like ${attributeName} used in AQL filters.
• Building an object schema for IT Asset Management (ITAM) – Explains how to structure Object Types and attributes.
• Assets Query Language (AQL) Reference – A detailed guide to AQL syntax.
  
  

 Why Does Restricting Attribute Values Help?

When collecting assets (e.g., in an ITAM scenario), it can get overwhelming if users have to select from a huge list. By using Filter Objects to restrict values:
• Improved Data Integrity: Avoids incorrect assignments, e.g., by only showing matching locations for a company.
• Better User Experience: Forms are filled out faster since irrelevant options are hidden.
• Increased Efficiency: Fewer errors mean less rework in Jira issues or reports.
• Scalability: In large environments (e.g., Data Center instances), it keeps performance high by optimizing queries.

In the context of IT Service Management (ITSM), this feature enhances data quality by ensuring accurate and consistent asset information, which is crucial for reliable processes like incident resolution and change management. By preventing erroneous data entries, it supports ITSM goals of efficiency and compliance, reducing risks in IT operations.

This is especially helpful if you're not automatically populating your Assets database (e.g., via integrations, scripts, Data Manager or Discovery) – it ensures manual entries are accurate, efficient, and less prone to mistakes.
Seems helpful for me when you are dealing with complex asset structures.

A Small Practical Example: Restricting Locations Based on Company

We using the template from Atlassian and add the object types Company and Location.

• Company (Attribute: Name)

• Locations (Attributes: Name, Reference to Company)

• Choose one Device – here Laptops from the template  (Attributes: Name, Reference to
  Company and Location)

You want to ensure that when creating a new "Device" object, only locations from the selected company are shown.

Configuration Steps:

1. Go to Assets > Object Schema > Select Laptops.
2. Edit the "Location" attribute (which references the "Location" Object Type).

1. Under Attribute Settings > Filter Objects, enter an AQL filter:

Using

"Company" = ${Company}

Fill it with sample data – Here mine.

3 companies with 3 locations each

 

Example in Action:

• Create a new "Laptops" object and first select the company "Company 1."
• In the "Location" attribute, only locations that belong to "Company 1" appear – not all locations.

• Change the Company to “Company 2” – all locations from “Company 2” appear

• And as last “Company 3” – all llocations from “Company 3” are there
  

 In this example, we prevent a Laptop from being wrongly assigned to an incorrect location with just a few simple clicks

I hope this article helps someone save time and effort.

Have a great time exploring Assets!

[Josh]

@Kai Krause thanks for highlighting this often-overlooked feature! It is super helpful, and not enough people are talking about it (myself included).

[David Berclaz _Apwide_]

@Kai Krause thanks for the highlight, I also find this feature!