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As your network grows, keeping it organized is critical for efficient management, troubleshooting, and automation. Altostrat SDX provides three distinct but complementary tools to enrich your sites with contextual information: Tags, Metadata, and Site Files. Understanding when to use each tool is key to building a scalable and easily manageable network fleet.

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Choosing the Right Tool for the Job

Each feature is designed to solve a different organizational problem. Use this guide to select the appropriate tool for your needs.

Use Tags for Classification & Filtering

Purpose: To categorize, group, and filter resources. Tags are structured, consistent, and reusable labels that apply across your fleet. They are the foundation for building dynamic automations and reports.When to use: For shared attributes that define a resource’s role or group.
  • Region: APAC
  • Site Status: Production
  • Customer Tier: Enterprise

Use Metadata for Information & Data Storage

Purpose: To store unique, unstructured, and specific data points for a single resource. Metadata is a free-form key-value store intended for storing information, not for classification.When to use: For data that is unique to a specific site or device.
  • circuit_id: "AZ-54321-US"
  • local_contact: "jane.doe@example.com"
  • install_date: "2023-10-27"

Use Site Files for Documentation & Attachments

Purpose: To attach rich content, documents, and visual aids directly to a site. This keeps all relevant human-readable documentation in one place.When to use: For files and notes that provide operational context.
  • Network-Diagram.pdf
  • Rack-Photo.jpg
  • On-Site-Contacts.md

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How to Manage Tags

The tagging system in SDX is a two-step process: first, you create a tag Definition (the category), and then you apply it with a specific Value to your sites. This structure ensures consistency across your organization.
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1. Create a Tag Definition

A Tag Definition acts as the template for your tags (e.g., “Region,” “Priority”).
  1. Navigate to Settings → Tags in the SDX dashboard.
  2. Click + Add Tag to create a new definition.
  3. Define the Key (the name of the category, like Site Status).
  4. Choose a Color for easy visual identification in the UI.
  5. Optionally, mark the tag as mandatory for certain resource types (e.g., require all sites to have a Site Status tag).
  6. Click Save. Your new tag category is now available to be used.
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2. Apply the Tag to a Site

Once a definition exists, you can apply it to any resource.
  1. Navigate to the overview page of the site you want to tag.
  2. Find the Tags section and click Add Tag.
  3. Select the Tag Definition you created (e.g., Site Status).
  4. Enter the specific Value for this site (e.g., Production). Our system supports auto-completion based on existing values for that tag, enforcing case-insensitive uniqueness to prevent variations like “Production” and “production”.
  5. The tag is now applied. You can add multiple tags to a single site.
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3. Filter Your Fleet Using Tags

Once tagged, use the filter controls on the main Sites page to instantly find all resources that match a specific tag and value (e.g., show all sites where Region is APAC).

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How to Manage Metadata and Site Files

Metadata and Site Files are managed directly from a site’s overview page, providing a dedicated space for resource-specific information.
  1. Navigate to the site you want to manage.
  2. Select the Metadata or Files tab.
  3. From here, you can perform several actions:
    • Add Metadata: Create new key-value pairs to store specific information. Values can be strings, numbers, or booleans.
    • Upload Files: Securely attach documents (.pdf, .docx), images (.jpg, .png), or other media.
    • Create Notes: Write and save notes directly in Markdown format for quick reference.
All Site Files are stored securely and can only be accessed via authenticated, time-limited signed URLs, ensuring your documentation remains protected.

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Best Practices

Plan Your Tagging Strategy

Before creating tags, plan a consistent taxonomy for your organization. A well-defined set of tags is far more powerful for filtering and automation than dozens of ad-hoc ones. Think about how you want to group and report on your resources.

Use Metadata for Data, Not Filtering

Remember the core difference: tags are for filtering, while metadata is for storing reference data. Don’t put a unique circuit ID in a tag, as it creates a tag value that only applies to one resource. Place it in metadata instead.

Power Automation with Tags

Tags are a key component of automation. Use them as filters or conditions in your Workflows to perform actions on specific groups of sites (e.g., “Run a health check on all sites with the tag Site Status: Production”).