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Active Directory Active Column

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Attribute

Setting

Document title

What does the Active Directory Active column mean?

Document subject

What do the yes/no values in the Active Directory “Active” column mean?

Document version

1

Document category

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Document published date

14/01/2025

Technical level

100

Hosting type

On premise & SaaS provisioned

Product name

Certero for Enterprise ITAM

Product version

 

Module

Choose an item.

Connector

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Question

There are some datapoints in Certero for which the meaning may not be obvious. This can be because the values are calculated or derived in some way to reduce effort, but the derivation is not self-evident.

On the Active Directory tab of the Computer Systems > Microsoft Windows datagrid, there is a column titled Active, which contains the possible values of Yes, No or <blank>.

We know this datapoint is very important for understanding inventory coverage and lifecycle, and is available in all the key reporting vectors in the platform; but what does it actually mean and how is it derived?

Answer

This datapoint is populated by an AD connector, so it’s an outcome of discovery, not inventory which is why you’ll also see the column in Client Management > Computers.

Yes Means that the last time the AD connector for the computer’s domain ran, the computer account existed and was not disabled.

No Means that the last time the AD connector for the computer’s domain ran, the computer account did not exist or was disabled.

Blank This means that the computer is not in any domain covered by an AD connector. If there was a connector, then as per the above, we’d have determined a Yes or No status. Most likely the computer is not domain-joined, and/or it’s not a Windows computer.

Note the phrase “the last time the AD connector… ran” in the meanings above. This means that if a connector has stopped working, then the Yes/No status will be stale, so it’s important to also consider the AD Last Sync and AD Last Logon timestamps.

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