Master SCCM Collections: Types, Uses, and Management

Explore SCCM collections: group devices/users, deploy software, and manage resources efficiently with dynamic/static options.

Decoge

Feb 19, 2025 2 min read

Summary

This blog post provides a comprehensive overview of collections in System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), covering their types, use cases, and management. It also includes practical steps to create and manage collections within SCCM, ensuring efficient software deployment and resource management.

Highlights

🔍 What are Collections? - Collections in SCCM are groups of devices or users that share common attributes to serve specific purposes, such as deploying software or fetching reports.
🛠️ Types of Collections - There are two main types: built-in collections, created during SCCM installation, and custom collections, made by administrators as needed.
📁 Subcategories - Collections can be further divided into user collections and device collections, based on whether they contain users or devices.

Key Insights

💡 Use Cases - Collections are used for grouping resources, deploying applications, managing client settings, power management, and controlling access via maintenance windows.
🔄 Dynamic vs. Static Collections - Dynamic collections update automatically based on queries, while static collections are manually updated.
⚙️ Membership Rules - These rules help define the criteria for including or excluding resources in collections.
🔐 Security - Security roles and permissions in SCCM control who can create, modify, and delete collections.

Detailed Explanation

The blog post explores in detail how to create collections using both direct inclusion and query-based rules. It demonstrates using membership rules to manage dynamic and static collections effectively. Practical examples include creating collections for specific use cases like deploying applications to specific groups of users or devices.

Additionally, the post explains the importance of maintenance windows, allowing updates and installations to occur outside of production hours, ensuring minimal disruption. The blog also highlights the significance of include and exclude rules within collections, particularly in production environments where certain devices should be excluded from updates.

Practical Demonstration

The blog includes a practical demonstration of creating collections in SCCM, with step-by-step instructions for creating direct and query-based collections, as well as using include and exclude rules. Furthermore, the post covers setting up maintenance windows and configuring power management options within SCCM collections.

Conclusion

This guide to SCCM collections provides a thorough understanding of how to manage resources efficiently, ensuring tailored deployment strategies and optimal resource management in IT environments.