Autotask Configuration Items

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.

Anti-triggers

• The same asset as documentation rather than as a billable record — IT Glue holds the documentation copy with its own type schema; use it-glue-configurations.
• Live endpoint state — online/offline, last check-in, agent health — a CI is a static PSA record that does not know whether the machine is running; use datto-rmm-devices, or kaseya-vsa-api-patterns for VSA-managed endpoints.
• Installed software or hardware specs — CIs carry procurement and warranty fields, not collected inventory; use datto-rmm-audit.

CI Status Codes

CI Lifecycle Workflow

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

Key fields on most CIs: referenceTitle (name), companyID, configurationItemType, configurationItemCategoryID, serialNumber, installDate / purchaseDate / warrantyExpirationDate, and rmmDeviceID for RMM-synced assets.

See references/fields.md for the complete field reference (identification, hardware, network, lifecycle, contract/billing, RMM integration, and user-defined fields) plus the CI category hierarchy and DNS record fields.

CI Types

Configuration Item Types classify assets at the highest level:

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

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

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

CI Categories

Categories provide secondary classification within types — e.g. Server → Physical Server / Virtual Server / Cloud Server; Network Device → Firewall / Switch / Wireless. See references/fields.md for the full category hierarchy and examples.

Related Items (CI Relationships)

Related Items establish connections between Configuration Items — Parent/Child, Dependency, Peer, Backup, and Network relationships:

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

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

DNS Records

Track DNS records (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.) associated with domain CIs:

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

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

See references/fields.md for the DNS record field table and references/examples.md for query patterns (e.g. finding CIs with expiring SSL certificates).

CI Notes

Attach notes to Configuration Items for documentation:

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

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

noteType: 1 = Internal (MSP only), 2 = External (client visible).

Billing Product Associations

Link CIs to billing products for recurring revenue via configurationItemID, productID, quantity, unitPrice, and effectiveDate. See references/api.md for a full example.

API Patterns

Creating a Configuration Item

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

Server Example:

{
  "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
}

See references/api.md for the workstation create example, retire/update patterns, and additional query patterns (expiring warranties, servers by type/location, CIs without RMM integration).

Query Patterns

All active CIs for a company:

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

Common Workflows

Asset Onboarding

1. Create CI with basic info
2. Set type and category for classification
3. Link to company location
4. Record warranty dates
5. Create relationships (if part of infrastructure)
6. Associate billing (if recurring)
7. Sync with RMM for ongoing monitoring

Warranty Tracking Report

Query CIs where warrantyExpirationDate is not null and lte a future cutoff date, then sort by days remaining. See references/examples.md for the implementation.

Lifecycle Planning

Compare each CI's age (from purchaseDate) against standard replacement cycles (servers ~5yr, workstations ~4yr, network devices ~7yr, printers ~5yr) to flag REPLACE / PLAN_REPLACEMENT / HEALTHY. See references/examples.md for the implementation.

RMM Sync Verification

Query active servers/workstations for a company and split by whether rmmDeviceID is set, to find assets missing RMM coverage. See references/examples.md for the implementation.

Error Handling

Common API Errors

Validation Errors

Best Practices

1. Standardize naming - Use consistent referenceTitle format (e.g., COMPANY-TYPE-NAME)
2. Track serial numbers - Enable warranty lookups and asset verification
3. Set warranty dates - Proactive renewal planning
4. Link to RMM - Enable automated inventory sync
5. Document relationships - Map infrastructure dependencies
6. Use categories - Enable meaningful reporting
7. Track purchase dates - Lifecycle planning
8. Associate contracts - Enable billing automation
9. 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