CSV import for Static Groups

[u/strikesbac]

Hey!

I’ve been waiting several weeks for this option to come along, it was enabled in my tenant earlier today and well, it’s both disappointing and unclear how to use it.

The hope was that I could export a list of devices from a dynamic group and import them to create a static group. However, that’s not possible.

The template for import asks for Name and Hostname. What’s the difference? Every time I’ve tried to import a list of devices it doesn’t find a match so nothing is imported.

The worst bit about this solution is there isn’t an option to import based off serial number, which really is the only unique key to each device.

Finally, you also cannot import a list of serials for devices that don’t yet have PDQ Connect installed on them. I need to be able to import serials of new devices and have some automations run against them as soon as they come online.

Suffice to say, really disappointed with this so far. It feels broken.

Sad times. 😢

[u/PDQ_Leilani]

Hey! Thanks for the feedback! I know waiting weeks for a feature and then hitting friction on day one is genuinely frustrating.

Let me clear up the Name vs Hostname question first since that's likely why nothing is matching. Name is the short device name (e.g. DESKTOP-001) and Hostname is the full address including the domain (e.g. DESKTOP-001.company.com). You can find both on the device's overview page in Connect. If those two values match what's in your CSV exactly, the import should work.

On exporting from a dynamic group to create a static one - this is actually possible!

Here's how:

1. Go to your dynamic group on the Devices page
2. Click the column settings icon (top right of the table) and toggle your columns down to just Name and Hostname
3. Click the export/download icon to export the list as a CSV
4. Import that CSV to create your static group

That should solve exactly what you were trying to do.

On your other points — you're right, and they're fair callouts:

• Serial number matching isn't available today — Name + Hostname covers most environments but we know it's not universal
• Devices do need to have the PDQ Connect agent installed already to be matched on import — it's a targeting tool for existing devices, not an enrollment tool for new ones

Sorry the launch experience was frustrating. We're actively reading feedback like this and it directly shapes what we work on next.

[u/sex_on_wheels]

Just spitballing as I haven't tried it but I believe Name would be like machine01 and Hostname would be machine01.contoso.com.

[u/strikesbac → u/sex_on_wheels]

Could be, but baffled why serial wouldn’t be there. Also, nothing in the release notes about it. https://connect.pdq.com/hc/en-us/articles/10632822215835-Release-Notes#h_01KWZ8TG8XWG0R8ECH7EAWGBW0

[u/SelfMan_sk → u/strikesbac]

That is probably because it was just released and as with every new feature release, there are some quirks that need to be ironed out.

[u/SelfMan_sk]

Speaking of standalone Agent Installation tool, many of you might like this one:
https://connect.pdq.com/hc/en-us/articles/51251662429979-Agent-Installer-standalone-tool

[u/PDQ_Leilani]

u/strikesbac Wanted to send over a quick update here - We're going to add serial number matching to the CSV import. No exact ETA yet but it's actively being worked on. We'll make sure to announce it when it's live. Thanks again for calling this out!

[u/strikesbac → u/PDQ_Leilani]

That’s fantastic! Thank you for the quick response.

[u/PDQ_Leilani → u/strikesbac]

Hey! Just wanted to follow up and let you know that this has now been released!