Skip to main content

Bulk Operations

When managing dozens or hundreds of cameras, individual configuration becomes impractical. This guide covers bulk operations for enterprise-scale deployments.

Bulk Operations Overview

Available Bulk Actions

OperationScopeDescription
Add CamerasGroupAdd multiple cameras to a group at once
Remove CamerasGroupRemove cameras from group
Enable/DisableProfileToggle profiles across all cameras
Apply SkillGroupAdd skill to all cameras in group
Update SettingsGroupChange configuration across cameras

Operation Hierarchy

Bulk Operations Hierarchy

Adding Multiple Cameras

Via Group Configuration

  1. Navigate to Groups → Select group
  2. Click Cameras tab
  3. Click Add Cameras
  4. Select cameras from available list
  5. Click Add Selected

Camera Selection

Available cameras are those:

  • Connected to Anava cloud
  • Not assigned to another group with conflicting profiles
  • Online and communicating

Bulk Selection Tips

SelectionHow
Select allClick header checkbox
Select rangeClick first, Shift+click last
Select multipleCtrl/Cmd + click each
Filter firstUse search to narrow list

Managing Profiles at Scale

Enabling/Disabling Profiles

To change profile state across all cameras:

  1. Go to Profiles in group
  2. Click profile row
  3. Toggle Active switch
  4. Confirm change

All cameras in the group receive the update.

Scheduling Profile Changes

Instead of manually enabling/disabling:

  1. Use Schedule in profile configuration
  2. Set active hours
  3. Profiles auto-enable/disable
Profile: After Hours Security
Schedule:
- Days: Mon-Fri
Hours: 18:00-07:00
- Days: Sat-Sun
Hours: 00:00-23:59

Bulk Skill Management

Adding Skills to Group

When you add a skill to a group:

  • Available to all cameras in group
  • Can be linked via profiles
  • Configuration shared across devices

Cloning Skills

To reuse a skill in another group:

  1. Open source skill
  2. Click Clone
  3. Select target group
  4. Modify if needed
  5. Save

Skill Templates

For common patterns, create template groups:

Template Group: "Security Template"
Skills:
- Intrusion Detection (standard config)
- Entrance Security (standard config)
- Loitering Alert (standard config)

Process:
1. Clone template group
2. Rename to production group
3. Add cameras
4. Customize as needed

Configuration Propagation

How Changes Propagate

Configuration Propagation Flow

Propagation Timing

Change TypePropagation Time
Profile enable/disable< 5 seconds
Skill update< 10 seconds
Add camera to group< 30 seconds
Configuration update< 10 seconds

Monitoring Propagation

Check Devices view for:

  • Online: Camera connected, config current
  • Pending: Configuration update in progress
  • Offline: Camera not connected

Batch Configuration Updates

Updating Multiple Cameras

When you need to change settings across cameras:

  1. Group-level changes apply to all cameras automatically
  2. Selective changes use device overrides

Common Batch Updates

UpdateMethod
Change trigger typeUpdate profile trigger config
Adjust confidence thresholdUpdate profile model settings
Modify TTS voiceUpdate profile TTS config
Change view areaRequires per-camera override

Using Search and Filter

Before bulk operations:

  1. Filter by status

    • Online only
    • Specific firmware version
    • Error state
  2. Search by name

    • Location patterns
    • Camera model
    • Serial number prefix

Import/Export Operations

Exporting Configuration

Export group configuration for:

  • Backup
  • Replication to other sites
  • Version control
# Export group configuration (via API)
GET /api/v1/groups/{groupId}/export

# Response includes:
# - Group metadata
# - All skills
# - All profiles
# - Device assignments

Importing Configuration

Import to create or update groups:

# Import group configuration
POST /api/v1/groups/import
Content-Type: application/json

{
"group": { ... },
"skills": [ ... ],
"profiles": [ ... ],
"options": {
"overwrite": false,
"assignDevices": false
}
}

Configuration Templates

Create reusable templates:

  1. Site Template - Standard group structure
  2. Skill Library - Common detection patterns
  3. Profile Presets - Standard trigger configurations

Multi-Site Deployment

Replicating Across Sites

For consistent deployment across locations:

Multi-Site Deployment

Site-Specific Customization

After cloning:

  1. Rename group for site
  2. Add site-specific cameras
  3. Adjust schedules for timezone
  4. Modify prompts for local context

Maintaining Consistency

Options for keeping sites in sync:

ApproachProsCons
Manual syncFull controlTime-consuming
Template updatesConsistent baseMust re-clone
API automationScalableDevelopment required

Performance Considerations

Large Group Operations

For groups with 50+ cameras:

  1. Stagger updates

    • Don't update all profiles simultaneously
    • Allow propagation between changes
  2. Monitor device status

    • Watch for pending/offline devices
    • Investigate before next batch
  3. Time operations appropriately

    • Avoid peak analysis times
    • Consider maintenance windows

API Rate Limits

When using API for bulk operations:

OperationRate Limit
Read operations100/minute
Write operations30/minute
Bulk imports5/minute

Rollback Procedures

Reverting Changes

If a bulk operation causes issues:

  1. Immediate revert

    • Disable affected profiles
    • Previous config remains on devices
  2. Selective revert

    • Identify affected cameras
    • Apply overrides to restore behavior
  3. Full rollback

    • Import previous configuration backup
    • Re-assign cameras

Configuration History

Configuration changes are logged:

  • Who made change
  • What changed
  • When changed
  • Previous value

Access via GroupHistory

Best Practices

Pre-Operation Checklist

Before bulk operations:

  • Backup current configuration
  • Verify target cameras are online
  • Test on small subset first
  • Schedule during low-activity period
  • Notify relevant teams

Post-Operation Verification

After bulk operations:

  • Check device status for all cameras
  • Verify configuration propagated
  • Test sample cameras manually
  • Monitor for unexpected events
  • Document changes made

Documentation

Maintain records of:

  • Bulk operations performed
  • Cameras affected
  • Configuration changes
  • Rollback procedures used

Troubleshooting

Cameras Not Receiving Updates

  1. Check connectivity

    • Device shows online?
    • MQTT connected?
  2. Check pending status

    • Pending indicates update in transit
    • May need retry
  3. Force refresh

    • Remove and re-add camera to group
    • Triggers full configuration sync

Partial Updates

If some cameras updated but not others:

  1. Identify affected devices

    • Check device status for each
    • Note error messages
  2. Common causes

    • Network interruption
    • Device offline during update
    • Configuration conflict
  3. Resolution

    • Wait for device reconnection
    • Retry operation for affected devices