Using WSUS Views
Applies To: Windows Server Update Services
WSUS database views are useful for generating custom reports. You can use them by themselves to get quick information on updates, approvals computers, downstream servers update installation, and computer inventory, or you can combine information from different views for more sophisticated reports.
Connecting to the WSUS database
In order to connect to the WSUS database, you will need to know the name of the database server and instance, as well as the name of the database.
Database instance
The database instance used by WSUS may be one of the following:
Windows Internal Database (the database installed by default:Microsoft##SSEE)
A local default instance of SQL Server 2005
A local named instance of SQL Server 2005
A remote instance of SQL Server 2005
If you are using the API, the best way to get the WSUS database instance for a given WSUS server is to call ServerName.
Database name
In general, the name of the WSUS database is SUSDB. However, if you are using the API, the safest way to get the database name is to call DatabaseName.
Named pipes with Windows Internal Database
You can connect to the Windows Internal Database instance only by means of a named pipe. The default format of the named pipe string for Windows Internal Database is \\.\pipe\MSSQL$MICROSOFT##SSEE\sql\query.
If you want to know whether the WSUS server is using Windows Internal Database or SQL Server 2005, call IsUsingWindowsInternalDatabase.
Permissions for WSUS public views
WSUS views can be accessed (read-only) by the PublicViewAccess database role. Members of the local SQL Server administrators group have access to public views by default. If you wish to allow other users access to these views, you can create a group login for these users and provision it on the SQL server in the PublicViewAccess database role.
The PUBLIC_VIEW namespace
All the public views in WSUS 3.0 belong to a namespace called PUBLIC_VIEWS. If new public views are created in a later version of WSUS, they will be created in a different namespace.
WSUS public views
The following tables list the WSUS 3.0 public views.
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdate
Returns one row for the latest revision of each update. The values of UpdateId are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description | Matching API property |
|---|---|---|---|
| UpdateId | uniqueidentifier | Identifier that uniquely identifies the update. | UpdateId |
| RevisionNumber | int | Revision number of a specific revision of an update. | RevisionNumber |
| DefaultTitle | nvarchar(200) | Title of the update in English. | No direct mapping. |
| DefaultDescription | nvarchar(1500) | Description of the update in English. | No direct mapping. |
| ClassificationId | uniqueidentifier | Update classification identifier based on PUBLIC_VIEWS.vClassification. | No direct mapping. |
| ArrivalDate | datetime | Date and time when the metadata for this revision of the update finished downloading to the WSUS server. | ArrivalDate |
| CreationDate | datetime | Date and time when this revision of the update's metadata was authored. | CreationDate |
| IsWsusInfrastructureUpdate | bit | Specifies whether this update is a WSUS infrastructure update. | IsWsusInfrastructureUpdate |
| IsDeclined | bit | Specifies whether this update was declined. | IsDeclined |
| MsrcSeverity | nvarchar(20) | Maximum severity rating of the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) bulletin associated with the update. | MsrcSeverity |
| PublicationState | nvarchar(9) | Publication state of the update. | PublicationState |
| UpdateType | nvarchar(256) | Type of the update. | UpdateType |
| UpdateSource | nvarchar(15) | Original source of the update. | UpdateSource |
| KnowledgebaseArticle | nvarchar(15) | Knowledge Base article number that describes an issue related to or fixed by this update. Can be null. |
KnowledgebaseArticles |
| SecurityBulletin | nvarchar(15) | Security Bulletin number for the bulletin that describes security issues and changes that are related to the update. Can be null. |
SecurityBulletins |
| InstallationCanRequestUserInput | bit | Specifies whether the update installation program may request input from the user. | CanRequestUserInput |
| InstallationRequiresNetworkConnectivity | bit | Specifies whether the installation of the update requires network connectivity. | RequiresNetworkConnectivity |
| InstallationImpact | nvarchar(25) | Impact to the user and other applications when installing the update on the client computer. | Impact |
| InstallationRebootBehaviore | nvarchar(20) | Restart behavior of the update. | RebootBehavior |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vCategory
Returns one row for each update category. The values of CategoryId are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description | Matching API property |
|---|---|---|---|
| CategoryId | uniqueidentifier | Identifier that uniquely identifies the category. | Id |
| CategoryType | nvarchar(256) | Type of the category. | Type |
| ParentCategoryId | uniqueidentifier | Parent category identifier of this category. | No direct mapping. |
| DefaultTitle | nvarchar(200) | Title of this category in English. | No direct mapping. |
| DefaultDescription | nvarchar(1500) | Description of this category in English. | No direct mapping. |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vClassification
Returns one row for each update classification. The values of ClassificationId are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description | Matching API property |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClassificationId | uniqueidentifier | Identifier that uniquely identifies the classification. | Id |
| DefaultTitle | nvarchar(200) | Title of this classification in English. | No direct mapping. |
| DefaultDescription | nvarchar(1500) | Description of this classification in English. | No direct mapping. |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateInCategory
Returns one row for each category and update combination, if the update belongs to the category. An update can be belong to more than one category. This view should be used to obtain update membership in the categories exposed by PUBLIC_VIEWS.vCategory. The values of the UpdateId/CategoryId combination are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| UpdateId | uniqueidentifier | Update identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdate. |
| CategoryId | uniqueidentifier | Category identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vCategory. |
| CategoryType | nvarchar(256) | Type of the category. Same as PUBLIC_VIEWS.vCategory.CategoryType. |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vLanguage
Returns one row for each language supported by the server for locale specific information. The values of LocaleId are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| LocaleId | int | Language identifier. |
| Name | nvarchar(16) | Language code in RFC1766 format (for example, “en” for English). |
| EnglishName | nvarchar(32) | Language name in English. |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateText
Returns one row for each update title and description, in the languages specified in the update metadata. The values of the UpdateId/LocaleId combination are unique.
The title and description rows correspond to the API properties Title and Description.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| UpdateId | uniqueidentifier | Update identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdate. |
| LocaleId | int | Language identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vLanguage. |
| Title | nvarchar(200) | Title of the update. |
| Description | nvarchar(1500) | Description of the update. |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateAdditionalInfoUrl
Returns one row for each additional info URL for an update in the languages specified in the update metadata. These URLs are provided by the author of the update to publish additional information about the update. There can be more than one additional information URL for and update for a given language.
The Url row corresponds to the API property AdditionalInformationUrls.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| UpdateId | uniqueidentifier | Update identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdate. |
| LocaleId | int | Language identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vLanguage. |
| Url | nvarchar(2083) | Additional info URL. |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vCategoryText
Returns one row for each product category title and description, in the languages specified in the category metadata. The values of the CategoryId/LocaleId combination are unique. The Title and Description rows correspond to the API properties Title and Description.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CategoryId | uniqueidentifier | Category identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vCategory. |
| LocaleId | int | Language identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vLanguage. |
| Title | nvarchar(200) | Title of the category. |
| Description | nvarchar(1500) | Description of the category. |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vClassificationText
Returns one row for each product classification title and description, in the languages specified in the classification metadata. The values of the ClassificationId/LocaleId combination are unique.The Title and Description rows correspond to the API properties Title, Description.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ClassificationId | uniqueidentifier | Classification identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vClassification. |
| LocaleId | int | Language identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vLanguage. |
| Title | nvarchar(200) | Title of the classification. |
| Description | nvarchar(1500) | Description of the classification. |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vDownstreamServer
Returns one row for each downstream WSUS server connected to this in the server hierarchy.
| Column name | Data type | Description | Matching API property |
|---|---|---|---|
| ServerId | uniqueidentifier | Identifier that uniquely identifies the WSUS server. | Id |
| Name | nvarchar(255) | Full domain name of the downstream server. | FullDomainName |
| IsReplica | bit | Specifies whether the downstream server is a replica server. | IsReplica |
| ParentServerId | uniqueidentifier | Identifier of the upstream WSUS server this server last synchronized from, or null for servers directly connected to this server. |
GetParentServer |
| Version | nvarchar(32) | Version of WSUS that is installed on the downstream server | Version |
| LastSyncTime | datetime | Date and time in UTC when the downstream server last synchronized with its parent server. | LastSyncTime |
| LastRollupTime | datetime | Date and time in UTC when the downstream server last rolled up reporting data to its parent server. | LastRollupTime |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerTarget
Returns one row for each computer that connected to this WSUS server including computers that have been rolled-up from downstream servers. The values of ComputerTargetId are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description | Matching API property |
|---|---|---|---|
| ComputerTargetId | nvarchar(256) | Identifier that uniquely identifies the computer. | Id |
| ParentServerId | uniqueidentifier | WSUS server identifier from vDownstreamServer, if the computer is connected to a downstream server, otherwise null. |
ParentServerId |
| Name | nvarchar(255) | Full domain name of the computer. | FullDomainName |
| IPAddress | nvarchar(40) | IP address of the computer. | IPAddress |
| LastSyncResult | nvarchar(9) | Status of the most recent scan. | LastSyncResult |
| LastSyncTime | datetime | Date and time in UTC of the most recent scan. | LastSyncTime |
| LastReportedStatusTime | datetime | Date and time in UTC the computer last reported update status information to its server. | LastReportedStatusTime |
| LastReportedInventoryTime | datetime | Date and time in UTC the computer last reported inventory information to its server. | LastReportedInventoryTime |
| ClientVersion | nvarchar(20) | Version of the Automatic Update agent installed on the computer. | ClientVersion |
| OSArchitecture | nvarchar(100) | Target processor architecture of the operating system on the computer. | OSArchitecture |
| Make | nvarchar(64) | Make of the computer. | Make |
| Model | nvarchar(64) | Model of the computer. | Model |
| BiosName | nvarchar(64) | BIOS name of the computer. | Name |
| BiosVersion | nvarchar(64) | BIOS version of the computer. | Version |
| BiosReleaseDate | datetime | BIOS release date of the computer. | ReleaseDate |
| OSMajorVersion | int | Major version number of the operating system on the computer. | Major |
| OSMinorVersion | int | Minor version number of the operating system on the computer. | Minor |
| OSBuildNumber | int | Version number of the operating system build. | Build |
| OSServicePackMajorNumber | int | Major version number of the operating system service pack. | ServicePackMajor |
| OSDefaultUILanguage | nvarchar(10) | Locale of the operating system. | DefaultUILanguage |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerTargetGroup
Returns one row for each computer group in the server including in-built computer groups. The values of ComputerTargetGroupId are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description | Matching API property |
|---|---|---|---|
| ComputerTargetGroupId | uniqueidentifier | Identifier that uniquely identifies the computer group. | Id |
| Name | nvarchar(256) | Name of the group. | Name |
| ParentTargetGroupId | uniqueidentifier | Identifier from this view for the parent group, or null for the All Computers group at the root of the hierarchy. |
GetParentTargetGroup |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerGroupMembership
Returns one row for each computer and computer group if the computer is part of the group, including computer groups of which the computer is indirectly a member. The values of the ComputerTargetId/ComputerTargetGroupId combination are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ComputerTargetId | nvarchar(256) | Computer identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerTarget. |
| ComputerTargetGroupId | uniqueidentifier | Computer group identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerTargetGroup. |
| IsExplicitMember | bit | Specifies whether the computer is a direct member or indirect member (member of a child computer group in the group hierarchy). |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateApproval
Returns one row with approval information for each update and computer group if the update is approved to that computer group. The values of UpdateApprovalId are unique. In addition, the values of the combination UpdateId/ComputerTargetGroupId are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description | Matching API property |
|---|---|---|---|
| UpdateApprovalId | uniqueidentifier | Identifier that uniquely identifies the update approval. | Id |
| UpdateId | uniqueidentifier | Update identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdate. | UpdateId |
| ComputerTargetGroupId | uniqueidentifier | Computer group identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerGroup. | ComputerTargetGroupId |
| Action | nvarchar(11) | Action that the client performs when applying the update. | Action |
| Deadline | datetime | Date and time in UTC by when a computer will be forced to apply the update. | Deadline |
| CreationDate | datetime | Date and time in UTC an administrator approved the update | CreationDate |
| AdministratorName | nvarchar(385) | Name of the administrator who approved the update | AdministratorName |
| IsOptional | bit | Specifies whether an update is optional to a computer receiving this approval. | IsOptional |
| IsStale | bit | Specifies whether this approval is for an older revision of the update. | n/a |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateInstallationInfoBasic
Returns one row for each update and computer if the computer has reported status for that update with the reported status information. The results do not include the Unknown and NotApplicable states. This view is the optimal way to obtain computer status when the above states are not relevant to the solution. The values of the UpdateId/ComputerTargetId combination are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description | Matching API property |
|---|---|---|---|
| UpdateId | uniqueidentifier | Update identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdate. | UpdateId |
| ComputerTargetId | nvarchar(256) | Computer target identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerTarget. | ComputerTargetId |
| State | int | State of the update installation on the computer. | UpdateInstallationState |
Note
Use the table-valued function PUBLIC_VIEWS.fnUpdateInstallationStateMap to map string representations of the installation state to the integer value exposed by this view. The integer representations are subject to change between releases.
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateInstallationInfo
Returns one row for each update and computer with status information of all possible states. The values of the UpdateId/ComputerTargetId combination are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description | Matching API property |
|---|---|---|---|
| UpdateId | uniqueidentifier | Update identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdate. | UpdateId |
| ComputerTargetId | nvarchar(256) | Computer target identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerTarget. | ComputerTargetId |
| State | int | State of the update installation on the computer. | UpdateInstallationState |
Note
Use the table-valued function PUBLIC_VIEWS.fnUpdateInstallationStateMap to map string representations of the installation state to the integer value exposed by this view. The integer representations are subject to change between releases.
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateEffectiveApprovalPerComputer
Returns one row for each update and computer along with the effective approval identifier when the computer belongs to multiple groups and the update is approved to some of those groups. The values of the UpdateId/ComputerTargetId combination are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description | Matching API property |
|---|---|---|---|
| UpdateId | uniqueidentifier | Update identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdate. | UpdateId |
| ComputerTargetId | nvarchar(256) | Computer target identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerTarget. | ComputerTargetId |
| UpdateApprovalId | uniqueidentifier | Update approval identifier of the effective approval from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateApproval. | UpdateApprovalAction, UpdateApprovalTargetGroupId |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.fnUpdateInstallationStateMap
This table-valued function returns the mapping from the string representation of update installation state to the corresponding integer representation used in the public views PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateInstallationInfo and PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateInstallationInfoBasic.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Id | tinyint | Integer representation of the installation state. |
| Name | nvarchar(256) | String representation of the installation state. |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vSupportedInventory
Returns one row for each inventory type supported by the server. The values of the ClassName/PropertyName combination are unique.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ClassName | nvarchar(256) | Name of the inventory collection class. |
| PropertyName | nvarchar(256) | Name of the property within an inventory class. |
| PropertyType | nvarchar(10) | CLR data type of the property. |
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerInventory
Returns collected inventory data for all computers. The values of the ComputerTargetId/ClassName/InstanceId/PropertyName combination are unique. Note that there can be multiple sets of inventory data for the same inventory class, differentiated by the InstanceId field.
| Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ComputerTargetId | nvarchar(256) | Computer target identifier from PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerTarget for the computer on which the inventory was collected. |
| ClassName | nvarchar(256) | Name of the inventory class. |
| InstanceId | bigint | A serial number to differentiate multiple inventory items that are collected for the same computer and inventory class. |
| KeyValue | nvarchar(256) | Differentiating inventory property for the current instance. |
| PropertyName | nvarchar(256) | Inventory property name. |
| Value | nvarchar(256) | Value of the collected data for the given class and property. |
WSUS samples
The following samples show the kinds of SQL queries you can use to get usefule information with WSUS views.
Update summaries for unassigned computers
The following query gets update summaries for all Security Updates across all the computers in the Unassigned Computers group.
DECLARE @securityUpdates uniqueidentifier
DECLARE @unassignedGroup uniqueidentifier
SET @securityUpdates = '0FA1201D-4330-4FA8-8AE9-B877473B6441'
SET @unassignedGroup = 'B73CA6ED-5727-47F3-84DE-015E03F6A88A'
SELECT
u.UpdateId
, u.DefaultTitle
, usc.State
, COUNT(*)
FROM
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdate AS u
INNER JOIN PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateInstallationInfo AS usc ON u.UpdateId = usc.UpdateId
WHERE
usc.ComputerTargetId IN (
SELECT ComputerTargetId FROM PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerGroupMembership WHERE ComputerTargetGroupID = @unassignedGroup)
GROUP BY
u.UpdateID, u.DefaultTitle, usc.State
Computers with installation failures for a specific update
The following query lists the computers with effective approvals that are showing failures for a given update.
DECLARE @updateID uniqueidentifier
DECLARE @failureState int
SELECT @failureState = Id FROM PUBLIC_VIEWS.fnUpdateInstallationStateMap() WHERE Name = 'Failed'
SET @updateID = '106F464C-2995-4ED0-946D-8230A95677FE'
SELECT
usc.ComputerTargetId
, c.Name
, ua.Action
FROM
PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateInstallationInfoBasic AS usc
INNER JOIN PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateEffectiveApprovalPerComputer AS ea
ON usc.UpdateId = ea.UpdateId and usc.ComputerTargetId = ea.ComputerTargetId
INNER JOIN PUBLIC_VIEWS.vComputerTarget AS c
ON usc.ComputerTargetId = c.ComputerTargetId
INNER JOIN PUBLIC_VIEWS.vUpdateApproval AS ua
ON ua.UpdateApprovalId = ea.UpdateApprovalId
WHERE
usc.UpdateId = @updateID
AND usc.State = @failureState