The Settings Compare Utility explained

The Settings Compare Utility is a built-in admin tool that places the full configuration of two VICIdial records side by side and highlights every line where they differ, so you can spot a single mis-set field without scrolling through two separate admin screens.

Where to find it

The utility lives under Admin Utilities at the bottom of the main Reports page. It is a standalone page, not buried inside any individual Campaign or user record. You reach it the same way every time, regardless of which record type you plan to compare. Admin-level access is required — regular Agent accounts do not see the Admin Utilities section at all.

Step 1 and Step 2 — picking what to compare

The workflow is always two steps. Step 1 asks you to choose the TYPE of settings you want to compare. The available types cover the main configuration objects in VICIdial:

• CAMPAIGNS — the full dial configuration for a predictive or manual campaign, including Dial method, Hopper size, and pacing settings.
• LISTS — the lead list settings, including list active status, time zone restrictions, and list mix rules.
• IN-GROUPS — inbound group configuration such as routing priority, queue music, and overflow settings.
• USERS — individual agent settings including skill assignments, dial prefix overrides, and recording flags.

Once you choose a type, Step 2 appears. You pick two specific entries from a drop-down populated with every record of that type in your system. Submit the form and the utility returns a table listing every setting for that record type, with the values from both entries shown in adjacent columns. The field names in the left column are the internal database column names, not always the same label you see on the admin edit screen — but the values are readable and match what you would set in the UI.

How the results are presented

Every setting appears in its own row. Rows where both records share the same value are displayed normally. Rows where the values differ are highlighted, so your eye goes straight to the discrepancy. On a long record type like CAMPAIGNS, this is the difference between scanning a hundred fields manually and seeing two or three highlighted rows that tell you exactly what is different. The highlighted rows are typically a very short list even when the two campaigns were set up independently with different operators — most settings end up the same by default, and only a handful of deliberate choices diverge.

The table scrolls if you have a long field list. There is no filter or search within the results — but because the differences are visually marked, you can read top to bottom quickly and stop at the first highlight. Once you have noted the field name and the values on each side, you open the relevant campaign or user admin screen, apply the correct value, and save.

flowchart TD
  A["Open Settings Compare Utility"] --> B["Step 1 — choose record type"]
  B --> C["CAMPAIGNS / LISTS / IN-GROUPS / USERS"]
  C --> D["Step 2 — pick two entries"]
  D --> E["Submit form"]
  E --> F["Full settings table returned"]
  F --> G{"Values match?"}
  G -->|Yes| H["Row displayed normally"]
  G -->|No| I["Row highlighted as difference"]
  I --> J["Fix the setting in the affected record"]

The RESET link and switching types

At any point after making a selection, a RESET link clears everything and returns you to a blank Step 1. Use it when you want to switch to a different record type or pick a different pair of entries without having to reload the page manually. A common workflow is to compare the two campaigns first, fix the campaign-level difference you find, then use RESET to switch to LISTS and compare the lists attached to each campaign — because sometimes a campaign setting looks identical but the list configuration is the real culprit.

The Settings Compare Utility fits naturally into your broader observability routine. Pair it with the Real-time report to confirm a fix took effect immediately after you change a highlighted field — the real-time view shows you whether the campaign started placing calls as soon as the setting was saved. For ongoing server-level health checks alongside configuration audits, see the full guide to monitoring VICIdial server health and capacity.

When two campaigns behave differently and you cannot immediately spot why, this utility surfaces the answer quickly. For a complementary set of diagnostic habits at the server level, how to read the Server Performance Report shows you what to look for when the box, not the configuration, is the source of the problem.

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