Problem:
Custom Data is not being sent in inventory or you would like to start pulling registry information using the Custom Data registry pulls.
Cause:
There are a number of different problems that can cause this issue. See solution below for further troubleshooting
Solution:
First, let's take a look at the formatting of the the Custom Data to better understand how that data is being saved and how the data is pulled. Most issues with Custom Data come down to a configuration issue. This could be a misspelled path, a trailing space or \ at the end of the path, not selecting "Make Available To Clients" on the Custom Data window, and some other issues that will be explained in this document.
First we will breakdown the different sections of the Registry Items. Use this image below and numbers for references
Section 1 - Root Key: This will usually be set to HKLM (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE). If you need to pull registry information from HKCU please follow this document: How Can I Get Data from the HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU) registry root?
Section 2 - Key: This is the path that follows HKLM. In this example we are pulling the information from the key SOFTWARE\CustomData. This is how that path looks like in Regedit:
Once you know where the data is located in Regedit, you can easily copy the path from Regedit by highlighting the data you want to pull, selecting Edit - Copy Key Name, and then entering that path into the Key Value in Custom Data:
Copying the path this way helps alleviate any issues caused by misspelling for incorrectly entering the path in Custom Data.
Once copied, you need to remove the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ " from the copied path since that is already selected in the drop down menu from section one:
Now that we know the path is valid lets continue on to value.
Section 3 - Value: This is the name of the value in Regedit. In this example, the name is TestMe. Make sure when you enter this value it is spelled exactly how it is seen in Regedit and has no trailing spaces when entered:
Now for the last section, Attribute Name.
Section 4 - Attribute Name: This is how the data will show in inventory. This path can be named however you would like. We recommend keeping the attribute name Custom Data as the top of the tree just for organizational purposes. You can use a more detailed tree but make sure each section is denoted by a hyphen ( - ) and a space on both sides of the hyphen like so:
The last step is the publish the list. In the toolbar for the Manage Software List is computer with a green arrow(
) this is how the devices get updated on what registry items to scan for. If you haven't already pressed the button, the window will show "(Unpublished)" like so:
Once you are confident that the custom data has been entered correctly and the attribute name has been set up how you would like, press the "Make Available To Clients" button to let the devices know there is an update to the registry list. The registry information will now be scanned on the next inventory scan. You can expedite this process by requesting an inventory scan from a device that has the previously set up registry key to confirm that everything is working. This is how my custom data shows in Inventory:
NOTE: If you have followed all of the previous steps and your registry data is still not coming in, please review the following document to make sure the data isn't being blocked: Custom Data is not Entered - Using the Unknown Items Inventory Tool