Tag Format and Application

An asset tag is primarily composed of a Category:Value pair. For example, if you want to group your assets by location, create a Location category with the value Headquarters.

Note: If you want to create tags without individual categories, Tenable recommends that you add the generic category Category, which you can use for all your tags.

Static Tags vs. Dynamic Tags

When you create a tag, you can choose between the following tag types:

  • static — You must manually apply the tag to individual assets. Alternatively, you can manually apply an automatic tag to additional assets that may not meet the rules criteria for that tag.

  • dynamic — Tenable Inventory automatically applies the tag to the assets on your instance that match the tag rules. When you create an automatic tag, Tenable Inventoryapplies that tag to all your current assets and any new assets added to your organization's account. Tenable Inventory also regularly reviews your assets for changes to their attributes and adds or removes automatic tags accordingly.

    Note: When you create or edit a dynamic tag, Tenable Inventory may take some time to apply the tag to existing assets, depending on the system load and the number of matching assets.

See the following examples for clarification:

Scenarios Tag Type
You create a tag with Location:Headquarters as the Category:Value pair, but you do not add any tag rules. Later, you add the tag to assets located at your headquarters. static
You create a tag with Location:Headquarters as the Category:Value pair, and you specify an IP address range in the tag rules. Tenable Inventory then automatically applies the tag to all existing or new assets within that IP address range. dynamic