Static vs. dynamic groups in PDQ Connect

Need to test deployments? Inventory your assets? Know when and where to act on device issues? PDQ Connect makes it easy to do all that and more with static and dynamic groups.

In this article, I’ll cover the differences between these two group types — and when we recommend using each one.

What is a static group in PDQ Connect?

A static group in PDQ Connect is a group that’s more or less stationary. You build it, add machines to it, and call it a day. Those machines stay in that group until you make a change manually.

Static groups are great for situations where you don’t expect much to change about the devices.

When to use static groups

Here are a few scenarios where static groups might be the best grouping option in PDQ Connect.

Test deployments

As a sysadmin, you always test your deployments with a small test group or virtual environment before deploying them broadly. (... right? RIGHT?!) Static groups are great for managing those devices.

To accurately represent your full environment, we recommend adding a random mix of computers to your static testing group. For example, say you want to test out your Windows 11 deployment plan with a small group of users in your environment. Add one or two users from each of your departments — Bob from marketing, Sarah from accounting, Chloe from sales — to your static group. Then, deploy your software to those devices. If something breaks, it’s time to troubleshoot. If everything looks good, you can broaden your pool of endpoints to deploy to.

Target specific devices

You might be used to sending a reboot or shutdown command to specific devices in your environment. (Looking at you, Larry, who last shut down his computer when LBJ was in office.) But you may have devices that shouldn’t be rebooted with the masses — because imagine shutting down the CEO’s computer on an evening when she’s working late.

You can build a static group to create a list of endpoints that should remain untouched during certain scenarios — reboots, software updates, etc. That way, you don’t even have to think about it — just add your static group as an exclusion to your deployment. Problem solved.

Make a “holding place" for devices

Ever need a temporary “holding place” for devices during deployments? Static groups come in handy here.

For example, say you need to deploy software to a specific department. You can make a static group, add those devices to it, and then deploy the software. (You know, because accounting doesn’t want the Adobe Suite any more than marketing wants QuickBooks.)

How to create a static group in PDQ Connect

Creating a static group in PDQ Connect is a simple process. Here’s how to do it.

1. From the PDQ Connect console, click Devices.

2. Click Create group.

3. Type in a name for your group in the Name field. Then, click the arrow next to the Type field. Click on Static. The Devices panel will appear.

4. In the Devices panel, select the machines you want to include in your static group. Click the arrow to move them over into the Selected devices column, and then, click Create.

And that’s all there is to it! Now, you have an unchanging group where you can monitor important info about each device.

What is a dynamic group in PDQ Connect?

A dynamic group in PDQ Connect is a group whose membership changes based on certain criteria. You can build out a dynamic group by listing out those criteria — devices with an application, devices without the latest version of a software, etc. — and watch as devices enter and exit the group, depending on what’s on each device.

Dynamic groups are great if you want a real-time look at which devices in your fleet meet certain standards.

When to use dynamic groups

Here are some common use cases for dynamic groups.

Inventory assets

Need to gather real-time information about your devices? We built dynamic groups in PDQ Connect exactly for this.

You can use filters to identify devices that meet certain criteria. For example, using the Software parameter, you can find devices with a specific program installed. Using the Windows updates parameter, you can see which devices haven’t been updated since a certain timeframe. You can even use custom fields to drill down specifics in your environment, depending on how you set up your PDQ Connect instance.

Act on device issues

Dynamic groups can help you act whenever a device meets specific, undesired criteria.

For example, say you want to prioritize cleaning up machines that have less than 20% of available disk space. A dynamic group shows you those devices in real time so you can take action where needed.

You can create a similar dynamic group that shows the devices with certain vulnerabilities. For example, if you want to target devices with vulnerabilities that have a CVSS score of 7 or greater, a dynamic group can help you see those devices so you can remedy them.

Identify missing applications

Many folks use dynamic groups in PDQ Connect to see which devices are missing certain applications.

For instance, say you just switched to a new antivirus and want to be sure you deployed it to all your endpoints. You can use a dynamic group to see if any devices in your fleet are missing the new antivirus software. You can even use a dynamic group to identify devices that have your old antivirus software installed so you can remove it easily.

How to create a dynamic group in PDQ Connect

Creating a dynamic group in PDQ Connect is just as simple as making a static group.

1. From the PDQ Connect console, click Devices.

2. Click Create group.

3. Type in a name for your group in the Name field. Then, click the arrow next to the Type field. Click on Dynamic. The Devices panel will appear (heads up — it looks different from the Devices panel for static groups).

4. In the Devices panel, set up the parameters you want to use to filter devices. In this example, let’s say we want to create a dynamic group of machines that do not have Firefox installed. Here’s what those parameters would look like:

5. Click Create. 

That’s it! We can see all the devices in our network that don’t have Firefox installed.

But just for fun, let’s take this a step further. What if we want to deploy Firefox to those devices where it’s missing?

With our dynamic group, it’s a piece of cake.

1. From the dynamic group we just created, select the checkbox at the top to select all devices in the group. Then, click Deploy.

2. In the Create deployment dialog box, type Firefox in the Search packages field. Click on the Mozilla Firefox package. Then, click Deploy.

Once the PDQ Connect agent scans those devices, we’ll be left with a lonely, empty group because these machines now have Firefox installed.

If only dealing with end users could be so easy.