Help for PDQ Inventory > The PDQ Inventory Interface

The PDQ Inventory main console window is where you manage the inventory of data gathered from the computers on your network. It provides access to these computers and your prebuilt and custom collections and reports. It also provides access to the Collection Library and Auto Reports. (Enterprise mode required.)

The main console is comprised of the following components—the Menu and Toolbar, the Tree, the Page, and the Status bar.

Menu and Toolbar

The File, Edit, View, Collection, Computer, Report, Tools, and Help menus provide commands and controls for the components and content you create and edit in PDQ Inventory. The Toolbar provides quick, context-sensitive access to selected commands.

The following table provides quick reference details for each command.

Menu	Command	Icon	Key Command	Description
File	New			Select a new item you would like to create from the following: Dynamic Collection (Ctrl+N), Static Collection (Ctrl+Shift+N), Basic Report, Report from Collection, SQL Report, or Report Folder.
	Duplicate		Alt+Insert	Duplicates the selected item.
	Import		Ctrl+I	Imports collection or report definitions.
	Export		Ctrl+E	Exports collection or report definitions.
	Save Data to File		Ctrl+Alt+S	Saves data from the active page.
	Print Preview		Ctrl+P	Prints what is displayed on the console.
	Exit		Alt+F4	Closes PDQ Deploy.
Edit	Cut		Ctrl+X	Cuts the selected item.
	Copy		Ctrl+C	Copies the selected item.
	Paste		Ctrl+V	Pastes the selected item.
	Delete		Del	Deletes the selected item.
	Rename		F2	Rename selected item.
	Select All/Select None		Ctrl+A	Selects or clears all items in a list or field.
View	Refresh		F5	Refreshes the entire console.
	Collection Library			Opens the Collection Library page.
	Scan Status		Alt+S	Opens the Scan Status window.
	Item Appearance		Ctrl+Shift+F2	Opens the Item Appearance window.
	Edit Columns			Depending on the page selected, opens either the Collection > Customize Collection Page or the Edit Columns window to edit visible and printing columns.
Collection	New Dynamic Collection		Ctrl+N	Create a new dynamic collection in the Dynamic Collection window.
	New Static Collection		Ctrl+Shift+N	Create a new static collection in the Static Collection window.
	Scan Collection		Shift+F6 (Standard only)	Select a scan type from the following: Standard, Applications, Computer Info, Registry Run Keys, Windows EXEs, or Windows Firewall Configuration.
	Edit Collection		Ctrl+Shift+O	Opens the appropriate collection window to edit the selected collection.
	Customize Collection Page		Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Z	Opens Edit Columns to edit visible and printing columns.
Computer	View Computer Details		Ctrl+O	Opens the Computer window for the selected computer.
	Add Computers			Select the method to add computers from the following: Active Directory - Auto Sync, Active Directory - Browse by Name, Network Discovery, or By Name.
	Scan Computers		F6 (Standard or default profile)	Scans all computers in the selected collection(s) using a prebuilt or custom scan profile. Select from all available profiles.
	Install .NET and Scan			Installs Microsoft .NET Framework using the file selected in Preferences > .NET Installation and scans the computer.
	Prioritize This Scan			Priorities the selected scan(s) that is currently pending.
	Abort Scan			Stops the selected scan in progress.
	Heartbeat		Ctrl+H	Starts a heartbeat ping to the selected computer(s).
	Select Scan User		Ctrl+Shift+U	Change user credentials for scanning the selected computer(s).
	Allow Scan			Enables or disables Allow Scan. Generally used for non-Windows operating systems or computers that cannot be scanned by PDQ Inventory.
Report	New Report			Select a report type from the following: Basic Report, From Collection, or SQL Report.
	New Report Folder			Creates a custom report folder.
	New Collection from Report			Creates a collection using the parameters of the selected report.
	Run Report			Runs a report for the selected computer(s) or collection(s). Select from all available reports.
	Define Report		Ctrl+F8	Opens the selected report for editing.
Tools	Event Viewer		Ctrl+Alt+E	Opens the Microsoft Event Viewer.
	Manage with MMC		Ctrl+Alt+M	Opens the Microsoft Management Console.
	PDQ Deploy		Ctrl+Alt+D	Opens the Select PDQ Deploy Package window within PDQ Deploy to initiate a deployment on the selected PDQ Inventory computer(s) or collection(s).
	Reboot/Shutdown		Ctrl+Alt+B	Opens the Reboot/Shutdown window for the selected computer(s) or collection(s).
	Remote Assist		Ctrl+Alt+A	Opens the Windows Remote Assistance window.
	Remote Desktop		Ctrl+Alt+R	Opens the Windows Remote Desktop window.
	Run Command		Ctrl+Alt+C	Opens the Run Command window for the selected computer(s) or collection(s).
	VNC		Ctrl+Alt+V	Opens the VNC remote control viewer.
	Wake		Ctrl+Alt+W	Opens the Wake-on-LAN window for the selected computer(s) or collection(s).
	Open ADMIN$ Share		Ctrl+Alt+O	Opens the ADMIN$ share on the remote computer.
	Customize			Opens Tools Menu tab of the Tools page on the Main Console for customization of the Tools menu.
Options	Scan Profiles			Opens the Scan Profiles window to manage scan profiles and scan schedules.
	New Scanner			Select the scanner type you would like to create from the following: Files & Directories, PowerShell, Registry, or WMI.
	Network Discovery Exclusions			Opens the Network Discovery Exclusions window to manage exclusions when adding computers using Network Discovery.
	Custom Fields			Opens the Custom Fields window to add and import data that cannot be obtained through a scan. Data entered here will display on the Custom Fields page of the Computer Window.
	Credentials			Opens the Credentials window to manage the administrative credentials used by PDQ Inventory.
	Variables			Opens the Variables window to manage the Custom and System values stored by PDQ Inventory.
	Console Users			Opens the Console Users window to manage the users that can access the console.
	Central Server			Opens the Central Server window. In Local mode, the window will show the options for setting up Server Mode or Client Mode. Once in Server Mode or Client Mode, the window will display the settings for the selected mode.
	Background Service			Opens the Background Service window to modify the settings used by the Windows service PDQInventory.
	Preferences		Ctrl+Comma	Opens PDQ Preferences window to customize the console.
Help	User Guide		F1	Opens the PDQ Inventory help window.
	Getting Started Guide			Opens the Getting Started Guide
	PDQ Website			Opens the PDQ.com website.
	Buy Enterprise License			Opens the PDQ.com Purchase Licenses web page. (Only visible in Free mode)
	Renew Subscription			Opens the PDQ.com Existing Customer Sign In web page. (Only visible in Enterprise mode).
	Try PDQ Inventory Enterprise			Opens the PDQ.com PDQ Inventory Enterprise Mode Trial web page. (Only visible in Free mode).
	Open Remote Repair		Ctrl+Tilde	Opens the PDQ.com Remote Repair utility.
	Open Elevated Command Prompt			Opens a Command Prompt to be Run as Administrator. (Enterprise mode required to launch from within PDQ Inventory)
	Open Elevated PowerShell Prompt			Opens PowerShell Prompt to be Run as Administrator. (Enterprise mode required to launch from within PDQ Inventory)
	Support			Opens the different support web pages available from PDQ.com. Choose between Feedback & Support and Support Forums.
	Check for Update			Opens the Check for Update window with information and download options about available updates.
	Current Configuration Summary			Opens a Notepad of select settings from Options, Preferences, and License. This file will mostly be used when seeking PDQ.com support.
	License			Opens the License window.
	About PDQ Inventory			Opens the About PDQ Inventory window that shows the currently installed version and license mode.

Tree and Page

The tree contains all the default and custom collections, reports, and custom report folders in your PDQ Inventory system.

Select an item in the tree to display its details in the page view on the right. You can organize the tree by moving folders or creating custom folders for reports.

The following table explains each element in the tree.

Page		Icon	Description
Welcome to PDQ Inventory			Includes links to get you started with PDQ Inventory, to help and documentation resources, and to follow PDQ.com on social networking.
All Computers			Lists all computers added to your database.
Auto Reports			Displays the list of auto reports. Auto reports are custom reports you can create that run and send email inventory reports on defined schedules. (Enterprise mode required.)
Reports (Default Folder)			Displays the list of default and custom reports
Collection Library			Displays sets of prebuilt collections for many popular applications and runtimes. These collections are constantly and automatically updated and maintained by PDQ.com. (Enterprise mode required.)
	Dynamic Collection (from Collection Library)		Built-in dynamic collections in the Collection Library for popular applications and runtimes, such as Adobe Flash and Java. Select a collection to see its members on the Collection page. Double-click the collection name to view the filters.
Tools			Access the Tools page which allows you to create and organized the various tools as well as the Tools Library page where you can import prebuilt tools.
AD Domain (from Active Directory)			Displays collections that mirror the structure of your Active Directory layout for those computers that are in your PDQ Inventory database. These collections are created after at least one Active Directory computer is added. This collection functions solely as a folder for the collections nested below it. NOTE: With Active Directory Sync, members of this collection can be automatically added or removed by PDQ Inventory when changes are made in Active Directory (depends on Active Directory > Active Directory Sync > Delete Mode settings in Preferences). (Enterprise mode required.)
	AD Organizational Units (from Active Directory)		Collections populated by members of your AD Organizational Units (OUs) that are in your PDQ Inventory database. NOTE: AD OUs will only appear if they contain computers that are in your PDQ Inventory database (either directly or in a child OU). OUs that do not contain computer objects will not be collected or displayed.
	AD Security Groups (from Active Directory)		Collections populated by members of your AD Security Groups that are in your PDQ Inventory database.(Enterprise Mode required.) NOTE: Only Security Groups that contain computer objects, either directly or via inheritance, will be displayed in PDQ Inventory.
Dynamic Collections (Default or Custom)			Dynamic collections that are populated dynamically by computers that match a set of collection filters. Select a collection to see its members on the Collection page. Double-click the collection name to view and edit the collection filters.
Static Collections			Static collections that are populated manually by adding or removing computers. Select a collection to see its members on the Collection page. Double-click the collection name to edit the members.
Folders (Custom Report Folders)			Shows the reports in the selected folder. You can create custom folders for organizing reports, then drag and drop to move them.