Comparisons, Templates and Items

Bit of a brain dump here.
Apologies if it doesn't make much sense.
Was talking with some collegues this morning, and the subject of reporting on systems with a config (or sections of a config) that do not match the SOE.
Naturally, I am thinking in terms of OAv2 and what it's database can provide.

Brain dump follows.


Want to compare items on a system with predefined items or a template.
Say we want to check a group of systems (WinXP) have a specific list of Group Accounts and that those Groups consist of a given list of Users & Groups.
Take a given system that fits what we want to check click "make a template".
Details on selected sections (thinking DB tables), ie - Groups for example are "imported" into a table and flagged as "Template 1".
Compare the systems in a given group to the "Template 1".
Report differences -
group does not exist,
group exists and is the same,
group exists but has these differences,
this additional group exists.

That would compare against all items (say all groups) on a group of systems.
Remember - a single system can belong to it's own group, so single systems are catered for.
Also need to define a single item, ie - software called "XYZ".
Need to compare against all systems in a group - the single line item.
Report differences -
software extsis
software does not exist
software exists with a differing version number

End goal - show me all our systems that do not meet a given Template, and give me the reasons they don't.

Code in such a way to allow for abstraction - don't care what item or table is catered for in a template. Can compare on a complete system or just selected tables (users, software, groups, etc, etc).

Brain dump finished.
Apologies if that doesn't make much sense...