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Cloudaware Tag Analyzer

Cloudaware Tag Analyzer is a CMDB‑enabled workspace for reviewing and managing tags across clouds from a single place. It helps you find untagged or inconsistently tagged resources, apply or correct tags in bulk from CMDB UI, and keep tag standards aligned with how you scope applications, owners, and cost.

Capabilities​

Tag Analyzer works on top of CMDB inventory and providers’ native tags to ensure:

  • Cross‑cloud view – browse tag coverage by provider (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, OCI, Alibaba Cloud, vCenter) and object type from one UI.
  • Coverage insights – quickly see how many objects are tagged or untagged for a given object type.
  • Bulk tag operations – add, update, or remove tags on many resources at once, with changes propagated back to the cloud provider where permissions allow.
  • Governance alignment – enforce tag standards (Owner, Application, Environment, CostCenter, etc.) that drive CMDB scopes, Cloudaware Virtual Applications, and reporting.

Under the hood, Cloudaware also uses CaTags (normalized tag fields) to make tag‑based queries and dashboards more consistent. Tag Analyzer is where you fix the underlying raw tags.

Prerequisites And Permissions​

To manage tags from Cloudaware:

  • Configure the relevant cloud accounts or subscriptions in the Admin Console with tag‑update permissions.
  • Apply least‑privilege policies for tagging for each provider:
  • Ensure that CMDB ingestion is healthy so Tag Analyzer sees up‑to‑date inventory.

Accessing Tag Analyzer​

There are two common entry points:

  • Global navigation
    1. Log in to Cloudaware.
    2. Click the Hamburger menu (top‑left).
    3. Select Tag Analyzer.
  • From a CI detail page
    • On the Tags tab of a CI (where available), use actions such as SHOW IN TAG ANALYZER to open the same object type in Tag Analyzer for broader context.

For general navigation patterns, see UI & Navigation in CMDB.

Layout And Workflow​

Tag Analyzer is organized by provider and object type. The workflow is the following:

  1. Select provider and object type.
    • At the top of the page, choose a cloud provider (for example, AWS, Azure, Google, etc.).
    • Select an object type (for example, EC2 Instance) from the list.
  2. Review tag coverage.
    • For the selected object type, Tag Analyzer shows counts such as Tagged Objects and Not Tagged Objects.
    • Click the Not Tagged Objects count for a selected tag entry to open the Objects Explorer with the underlying resources.
  3. Open Objects Explorer which is a table of CIs that match your selection (for example, untagged instances).
    • Use filters if any to narrow the list.
    • Check the boxes to select one or more rows to perform tag operations.
  4. Optional. Edit tags in bulk.
    • After the tag entries are selected, click the three-dot menu in the upper right corner. Select Tag AWS EC2 Instances, for example, to open the tag editor.
    • Review existing tags on the selected resources.
    • Click + ADD TAG to add a new key/value pair, or update/remove existing tags where allowed.
    • Save changes to push tag updates back to the provider. Changes will be reflected back into CMDB on subsequent ingestion.
tip

Visibility of tag‑editing controls and filters in Tag Analyzer depends on custom permissions such as the Tag Editor permission. In some tenants, these permissions may not be enabled by default, and Tag Analyzer will behave in a read‑only mode until they are granted.

Tag Standards And CaTags​

Cloudaware uses tags extensively for scoping and reporting:

  • CMDB queries and dashboards often filter by tags such as Owner, Application, Environment, or business unit.
  • Cloudaware Virtual Applications and auto‑attachment rules can rely on tags to determine which CIs belong to which application and tier.

Because provider tags can differ in spelling and casing (for example, environment, Environment, ENV), Cloudaware offers CaTags — normalized fields that consolidate multiple raw tags into a single canonical field (for example, caTag_environment__c).

Tag Analyzer complements CaTags by:

  • Providing a place to fix raw tags at the source so fewer normalization rules are needed.
  • Making it easier to enforce minimum tag sets before relying on CaTags in queries and reports.

For more on CaTags and special CMDB fields, see Field Types.

Tagging Automation​

Cloudaware also supports tagging automation, allowing tags to be updated at scale in a consistent, repeatable way. The workflow is the following:

  1. Customers define tagging policies (required keys and value patterns), preferred schedules, target scopes (accounts, regions, object types), and expected outcomes.
  2. Cloudaware configures and runs automation workflows that apply or correct tags according to those policies.
  3. Each run produces a clear record of what was changed and which resources still require attention.

This reduces manual tag maintenance effort and helps keep tags aligned across large, dynamic environments while preserving auditability.

For tagging automation patterns, see Automation & Extensibility.

Operational Best Practices​

To use Tag Analyzer effectively in day‑to‑day operations:

  • Define a tag policy – document required keys (for example, Owner, Application, Environment, CostCenter) and allowed values.
  • Start with critical scopes – focus first on production, internet‑facing, or regulated workloads.
  • Use saved CMDB views as input – combine Tag Analyzer with CMDB search and list views to target specific accounts, regions, or services before bulk‑tagging.
  • Review untagged resources regularly – schedule periodic reviews of Not Tagged Objects by provider and object type.
  • Coordinate with automation – ensure infrastructure‑as‑code and cloud‑native automation (for example, tagging in Terraform or CloudFormation) align with the standards you enforce via Tag Analyzer.

Limitations​

Tag name–value pair limits and supported characters vary by provider. Common limits include:

tip

Always refer to the latest provider documentation when designing tag standards, as these limits can change.

note

Tagging VMware vCenter or Oracle Cloud resources directly from Cloudaware is not supported at this time.