General Settings

In this article, we discuss the most important settings in Ewida Standard and Ewida Audit. Both applications are Windows desktop programs, but they serve different roles: Ewida Standard is mainly used for record-keeping and inventory management, while Ewida Audit is designed for auditing, monitoring, and remote data collection.

It usually makes sense to start with the general settings, because they affect everyday work with objects, lists, and reports.

The most important general settings include, among others:

  • Double-clicking an object opens... — you can choose whether a double-click opens the Properties window or the Detailed Report.
  • Verify uniqueness of identifying values — applies to fields such as ID, inventory number, and barcode. The verification scope can be limited to a given object type or turned off completely.
  • Default value — text inserted into fields that cannot be left empty.
  • Refine suggestions in the properties window — narrows suggestion lists based on the current object context.
  • Document date is the object creation date — affects how the creation log is interpreted.
  • Ask before closing the application — enables or disables confirmation when closing the program.
  • Background data saving — lets you decide whether some save operations should run in background threads.

These are shared settings in both applications, so configuring them properly usually translates quickly into more convenient work for the whole team.

Audit Settings in Ewida Audit

Audit settings are available in Ewida Audit. To access them, open the program settings and select the Audit branch.

General settings

In this section, you can configure, among other things:

  • Limit of simultaneously running threads — it is worth lowering this in overloaded or less efficient networks.
  • Timeout: WMI / Windows Registry — useful where remote responses are delayed or some WMI classes work more slowly.
  • Timeout: Host audit — defines the maximum time to wait for the audit of a single computer to finish.

You can also decide on the scope of the audit itself, including whether sources such as WMI, the Windows registry, files, system alerts, or product keys should be used. Additional options, such as Do not store scan results or Store only the last scan result, help reduce the amount of data and improve performance.

Automatic license matching

Ewida Audit allows automatic matching of manually entered licenses to detected software. This mechanism works only if the licenses were previously added correctly to the program and linked to hosts through the Audit - automatic matching relationship.

It is important to note that the program does not automatically assume software legality based only on detected applications or keys. Licenses must actually be owned and documented according to the vendor’s requirements. In the settings, you can define which license and software properties should be compared and whether only 100 percent matching results should be accepted.

Software recognition

This section is responsible for how data from different scanning sources is verified and merged. Since the same software can be detected through WMI, the registry, and file analysis, the program has to decide when to treat it as one product and when to treat it as separate entries. You can also define software packages so that several components are presented as one logical package.

WMI, registry, and file scanning

Ewida Audit lets you create your own scanning models. For WMI and the registry, you can indicate classes or paths, identifying properties, and the way data should be recognized as a set, device, or software item. For files, you can define extensions, types, filtering, and directories excluded from scanning.

This is an important feature of Ewida Audit as a Windows desktop application: the user has a strong influence on the scope and method of data collection instead of relying only on a fixed audit model imposed in advance.

System alert scanning

In the settings, you can decide which alerts should be analyzed during the audit. Some of them come directly from scanning, while others result from later data recognition. Keep in mind that the availability of some alerts depends on the Windows version, the system update level, and whether specific software, such as antivirus tools, exposes the required information through WMI.

DCOM Authorization

DCOM authorization is a setting available in Ewida Audit. It is useful when the audit is meant to be performed remotely without using Agents and without relying on local scan files.

Each host scanned through DCOM must have correct administrator credentials assigned to it. In practice, this means preparing an authorization pool with a name, login, and password consistent with the configuration of the target computer.

If the authorization is configured incorrectly, the most common result is an Access denied error. It is therefore worth treating this section as technical access configuration rather than just an auxiliary setting.

The Default authorization option is also available, allowing one of the previously defined configurations to be automatically assigned to newly added hosts.

Software Definitions

The software definition mechanism is available in Ewida Audit and is responsible for organizing application recognition results. The program is delivered with an extensive definition database, but the user can create custom entries, correct existing ones, and build software packages.

Within a definition, you can specify, among other things:

  • the program name and version,
  • whether the application should be recognized,
  • whether it requires a license,
  • which files are associated with it,
  • whether a given program should be part of a package.

This is useful because audit results often contain an excess of technical applications, libraries, or helper components. Thanks to definitions, the result can be simplified and better adjusted to the company’s real needs.

The package mechanism makes it possible to turn several individual programs into one logical entry, for example to treat multiple components of an office suite as a single item. The program also allows automatic generation of new definitions, but before approving them, it is worth reviewing and correcting them if needed.

Object Description

Object description is supported by both programs. This setting is often underestimated, but in practice it has a very large impact on ease of use.

The object description is responsible for the single-line representation of an item in many places in the program, including:

  • lists and selection windows,
  • tree managers,
  • detailed reports,
  • lists,
  • wizards and reports.

Configuration consists of choosing the properties that should build the description, their order, and the separator between them. You can also use custom prefixes and postfixes. A well-configured object description significantly improves readability across the entire application, especially when the database is large and the user moves daily between many lists.

Object Properties

The Properties window is the main place for editing a single item in both Ewida Standard and Ewida Audit. It can be opened from the context menu or with the ALT+Enter shortcut. If the user configures the program that way, the window can also be opened with a double-click.

In the settings, you can decide which properties should be displayed for a given object type. In some cases, the configuration can be even more precise and depend on the object category. This means, for example, that one set of fields can be shown for a printer and a different one for a processor or a license.

This is an important setting because it makes it possible to limit the number of visible fields to those that are actually used in a given organization.

Object Template

Object templates are available in both programs. They allow ready-made object configurations to be saved into XML files and later restored when entering similar data.

This is a practical solution when repeatable configurations regularly appear in the company, for example the same computer set model or a similar group of properties for a specific device type. Instead of creating such an object from scratch, it can be loaded from a previously prepared template.

Templates can be saved from the context menu or directly from the Object Properties window. Since they are stored as XML files, they can also be edited externally if needed.

Object Status

Object statuses are used by both Ewida Standard and Ewida Audit. They make it possible to quickly assess the current state of an item, for example whether it is in use, available, under repair, or taken out of service.

In the settings, you can define status change rules, meaning you can determine how the Status field behaves after specific operations such as object creation, assignment, detachment, or completion of a recorded activity.

You can also assign specific icons and colors to statuses. Thanks to this, statuses are clearly visible in managers, wizards, lists, and selection windows. It is a small setting, but it makes it much easier to quickly understand the state of objects.

Object History

Object history is especially important in Ewida Standard, where the program stores detailed logs of actions performed on recorded items.

The history may include, among other things, information about:

  • object creation,
  • data editing,
  • creating and removing relationships,
  • repairs, upgrades, maintenance, and services.

Each entry may contain the date of the change, the user name, the computer on which the operation was performed, and a comparison of the values before and after the change. In large databases, however, it is worth remembering that an excessive number of logs can affect performance, so in some cases it is a good idea to limit the scope of generated history.

Identifier Settings

Identifier settings are available in both programs and are responsible for automatically generating fields such as:

  • ID,
  • inventory number,
  • barcode.

Each type of identifier can be configured separately. The identifier structure can include a prefix, an incrementing number, and a postfix. In addition, the prefix and postfix can use variables such as the current year, month, or day.

Automatic numbering can work jointly for all objects or separately for a specific type. In some cases, separate numbering can also be maintained for object categories. This matters when a company uses different labeling schemes, for example for printers, computers, and consumables.

In network work, the SYNC (SQL) function can be helpful because it allows identifiers to be synchronized between workstations.

Event Log Settings

The event log is available in both Ewida Standard and Ewida Audit. It is a utility window, usually docked in the lower part of the application, that shows program activity logs.

In the settings, you can define:

  • which log categories should be generated,
  • whether automatic log cleanup should be enabled,
  • which entry types should be removed during cleanup.

In environments with a large amount of data, reducing the number of logs or turning off automatic Event Log refresh can noticeably improve performance. On the other hand, when diagnosing problems, it is worth leaving a broader logging scope enabled, at least temporarily.

Summary Statistics Settings

The summary statistics mechanism works in both programs and makes it possible to build summaries visible in the bottom panel of lists. Statistics can work in counting or summing mode and can also use additional data conditions.

In the settings of a single statistic, you can define, among other things:

  • the limit of values shown in the summary,
  • the text displayed before the result,
  • the separator between successive values.

This mechanism is especially useful when summaries are used not only for browsing data, but also for quickly obtaining simple numeric information without building separate reports.

Set Cost Summation

The set cost summation feature is available in Ewida Standard. A set acts here as a container for devices and software, and the program can dynamically calculate the total costs related to its operation.

In the Set Properties window, the Cost Total group is available and shows combined values. In the settings, you can decide which types of related objects should be included in these calculations.

This is a practical solution where a computer set is meant to be analyzed not only as a group of technical elements, but also as a complete cost unit.

Inventory Report Settings

Inventory report settings are available in Ewida Standard. They make it possible to define what documents generated from the inventory should look like.

In the settings, you can decide:

  • which object properties should be printed in detailed mode as property : value pairs,
  • which related objects should be included in the report together with the main object.

Related objects are printed using their object description, so these two settings are worth treating together. A well-prepared report configuration makes it possible to generate clear documents without an excess of technical data that the final recipient does not need.

Default Directories

Default directories are especially important in Ewida Standard, particularly when the program is used by many users on a network. They make it possible to define where files related to configuration, backups, and documents linked to objects should be stored.

The most important configuration areas include:

  • the main configuration directory,
  • the backup directory,
  • paths for files linked to objects,
  • images of invoices and documents related to recorded activities.

In a network environment, pointing these directories to a server with regular backups is often a good solution. This makes workstation changes easier and increases the safety of data linked to the database.

User Permissions

The user permissions mechanism is available in Ewida Standard. It allows you to create accounts with a login and password and define the scope of rights for individual users in great detail.

You can control, among other things, the ability to:

  • create, edit, and delete objects,
  • create and remove relationships,
  • access selected sections of the program settings,
  • work with the database,
  • perform backups, migration, and data merging.

This is especially important in multi-user work, where some users should have access only to day-to-day records, while more advanced administrative operations should remain in the hands of selected people.

Exporting Audit Data to the Ewida Standard Database

One of the important tasks of Ewida Audit is supplying the inventory database maintained in Ewida Standard with data. In the export settings, you can define the connection to the target database, the scope of exported data, and the way unnecessary elements should be skipped.

The most important settings include:

  • configuration of the connection to the inventory database,
  • excluding selected object types from export,
  • choosing which properties should be transferred to the inventory,
  • exporting object relationships.

This approach helps keep the Ewida Standard database clear. Not all audit data has to be transferred to the inventory in full. In many cases, it is better to export only those objects and properties that will actually be used later.

Application Performance

Performance settings are available in both programs and become especially important with large databases and in environments running on less efficient networks. This applies in particular where the number of objects is very high or many program windows constantly refresh data.

In the performance settings, you can limit, among other things:

  • automatic refresh of selected windows,
  • the amount of data shown in individual cells of relational lists.

Turning off immediate refresh for some windows can significantly improve smoothness of work, because data will be fetched only when the user actually opens a given view. Limiting overly extensive relational values, in turn, helps keep lists cleaner and faster.

In practice, it is worth treating these settings as a tool for adapting the program to the data scale rather than as a fixed configuration for every installation. Small databases usually do not require additional optimization, but in larger deployments these options can make a real difference to everyday comfort.