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Create and Manage Asset Hierarchies

availability
Platform:WebMobile
Plan Type:BasicEssentialPremiumEnterprise
User Type:RequesterFull UserAdministrator

This article explains how to create and manage asset hierarchies.

Create and Manage Asset Hierarchies​

You can manage asset hierarchies by creating and editing parent child relationships. Sometimes, changing a relationship can have a larger effect on the hierarchy. For more information see, Manage Assets in a Hierarchy. You can choose what happens to an asset's work order history when you change its parent asset. For more information see, Manage Work Order History for an Asset.

To create a parent sub-asset relationship, you can:

The number of hierarchy levels you can create depends on the number of levels that the Administrator has set. For more information see Change the Number of Hierarchy Levels.

Assign a Sub-Asset to a Parent Asset​

  1. From the sidebar, select Assets.
  2. In the Assets module, select the parent asset you want to create a sub-asset for.
  3. In the asset details, select Create Sub-Asset.
  4. Give the sub-asset a name.
  5. Select Create Sub-Asset.

The new sub-asset is listed under its parent asset.

You can select the sub-assets through the Split view. The status of the sub-asset is Online by default.

Assign a Parent Asset to a Sub-Asset​

  1. From the sidebar, select Assets.
  2. In the Assets module, select the existing asset you want to link to another asset.
  3. Select Edit.
  4. In the Parent Asset field, select the asset you want to link to, creating a parent for your asset.
  5. Select Update.

The sub-asset is linked to the parent and is listed under its parent asset.

Assign a Sub-Asset to another Sub-Asset​

note

You can only add a sub-asset to another sub-asset if the resulting hierarchy doesn't exceed the maximum number of levels for the organization.

  • If you're a Full user, you might not have the ability to add a sub-asset to another sub-asset if the new addition exceeds the total amount of layers set by the Administrator.
  • If you're an Administrator, you will be notified that you're about to exceed your maximum allowable number of layers and will be redirected to Settings to increase the total number of layers.
  1. From the sidebar, select Assets.
  2. In the assets list, select the existing asset you want to add another sub-asset to.
  3. On the Details page, in the Sub-Assets section, hover over the existing sub-asset you want to link another sub-asset to.
  4. Select + Sub-Asset. The New Sub-Assets dialog box appears.
  5. Give the sub-asset a name.
  6. Select Create.

The sub-asset is linked to the parent sub-asset and is listed under its parent sub-asset.

You can select the sub-assets in the List view. The status of the sub-asset is Online by default.

Remove a Sub-Asset from a Parent Asset​

  1. From the sidebar, select Assets.
  2. In the Assets module, select the parent asset that you want to remove a sub asset from.
  3. In the asset details, in the Sub-Assets section, select the sub-asset.
  4. Select Edit.
  5. In the Parent Asset field, select the X icon to remove the parent asset.
  6. You can choose to replace the parent asset or leave the field blank.
  7. Select Update.

The parent asset and sub-asset are separated from one another and are now listed independently in the assets list.

Manage Assets in a Hierarchy​

The following describes how to delete an asset from a hierarchy, move an asset out of a hierarchy, and restore an asset in a hierarchy. Operations at different levels of the hierarchy can have wider effects than the individual node you're editing.

Delete an Asset in a Hierarchy​

When you delete an asset in an asset hierarchy, all the sub-assets that are connected to it are also deleted (just like a folder on your computer). If you want to keep any sub-assets you need to move them out of the asset hierarchy before you delete it. For more information on deleting an asset, see Delete an Asset.

Restore an Asset in a Hierarchy​

When you restore an asset that was in an asset hierarchy, we only restore the sub-assets that were deleted at the same time. If you restore an asset and its parent is also deleted (because it was part of an asset hierarchy that was deleted), the asset will be detached from its parent and will be promoted to a top level asset. For more information on restoring an asset, see Restore a Deleted Asset.

Move Sub-Assets Out of a Hierarchy​

To move sub-assets out of an asset hierarchy you can:

Edit the asset and remove the parent. It brings the whole subtree of assets along with it. For more information, see Remove a Sub-Asset from a Parent Asset.

note

When you edit an asset, the subtree of assets moves along with it. This could have implications for exceeding the maximum number of levels that the Administrator has set. For example, you might get an error trying to move Cooling System under Milling Machine because Cooling System may already have five levels of sub-assets under it.

Change the Number of Hierarchy Levels​

An Administrator can set how many levels of sub-assets you can have in an asset hierarchy. The number of levels that you can create depends on your plan.

  • Premium Plan: Three levels (1 parent and 2 sub-assets).
  • Enterprise Plan: Unlimited levels. The Enterprise plan has six levels available by default (1 parent and 5 sub-assets). Contact Customer Support to guide you through the setup process of adding more hierarchy levels on an unlimited Enterprise plan.

For optimal navigation and organization, we recommend keeping your asset hierarchy to two or three levels.

To change the number of hierarchy levels, follow the steps below for the web application:

  1. From the sidebar, select Settings and then select Features.
  2. Navigate to the Assets section and select Set Preferences.
  3. From the Asset Hierarchy Levels drop-down, select the maximum number of sub-asset levels within your asset hierarchy.
note

When you reduce the total number of levels for example, from 5 to 2, previously created assets with more than 2 levels will remain the same. However, users will only be allowed to add 2 levels when they create a new asset hierarchy.

Automate Status Updates for Asset Hierarchies​

An asset's status represents the state of the asset. For more information on an asset statuses see, Asset Status. Each asset in a hierarchy can have its own status.

When an asset status is changed on a child asset, the same status may be applied to all of the asset's ancestors and, optionally, all the ancestor's other descendants. This can happen automatically or the user can make their own selection. An Administrator can set this under the Automate Status Updates for Asset Hierarchies setting.

To update the settings for status updates for asset hierarchies, follow the steps below for the web application:

  1. From the sidebar, select Settings and then select Features.
  2. Navigate to the Assets section and select Set Preferences.
  3. Select Asset Status.
  4. In the Automate Status Updates for Asset Hierarchies section, you can set your preferences for When Status Gets Manually Updated for any Parent Asset and When Status Gets Manually Updated for any Sub-Assets.

When Status Gets Manually Updated for any Parent Asset​

Choose one of the following:

  1. Ask which sub-assets to update: This displays a dialog where you can choose which of the parent's sub-assets to also update.
  2. Apply the same status to all of its sub-assets: All assets under the parent are updated automatically to the same status.

When Status Gets Manually Updated for any Sub-Assets​

Choose one of the following:

  1. Ask which other assets in the hierarchy to update: This displays a dialog where you can choose to also update all of the sub-asset's ancestors and which of the ancestor's other descendants.
  2. Apply the same status to its direct ancestors: All of the direct ancestors are automatically updated to the same status as the sub-asset.
  3. Apply the same status to the whole hierarchy: All assets in the whole hierarchy are updated automatically to the same status.

For more information on updating an asset's status see, Update an Asset's Status.

Manage Work Order History for an Asset​

You can move an asset from one parent asset to another. For example, you can move an engine from one truck, Truck A to another truck, Truck B.

Administrators can configure a global setting to specify what happens to an asset's work order history when you change its parent asset.

To specify what happens to an asset's work order history when you change its parent asset:

  1. From the sidebar, select Settings and then select Features.

  2. Navigate to the Assets section and select Set Preferences.

  3. From the Work Order History section, choose one of the following options:

    1. Keep work order history with previous parent asset:

      When you move an asset to a new parent asset, completed work orders stay in the original parent asset's history.

      For example, if you change an engine's parent asset from Truck A to Truck B, any completed work orders stay with Truck A, the parent asset that the work orders were completed for.

    2. Move work order history to new parent asset:

      When you move an asset to a new parent asset, completed work orders move to the new parent asset's history.

      For example, if you change an engine's parent asset from Truck A to Truck B, any completed work orders will move to the new parent asset, Truck B.

What Happens To Work Orders When You Change the History Setting​

A work order in an asset's work order history respects whatever setting is active when the work order is closed. Changing the setting doesn't update the work order history retroactively. If you change the setting, the work order will stay where it is until the next time you change the asset's parent asset. At that point, the work order will only move if the current setting causes it to move.

For example, let's say the current setting is Keep work order history with previous parent asset, and you create a work order for Asset A, which you then close.

  • If you change Asset A's parent asset, the work order will stay in the previous parent asset's work order history.
  • If you reopen the work order, it will stay in the previous parent asset's work order history.
  • If you change the setting to Move work order history to new parent asset, the work order will stay in the previous parent asset's work order history.
  • After you change the setting to Move work order history to new parent asset, if you change Asset A's parent again, the work order will move to the new parent's work order history.

Create an Asset Audit Log​

Some assets are portable. Portable assets are assets that can be moved around from one location or parent to another as needed. Some examples include:

  • Trucks
  • Bulldozers
  • Engines
  • Forklifts
  • Storage units

The asset audit log allows you to see the history of portable assets as you move them to other parent assets or locations. Audit logs automatically record the actions taken on an asset, such as deletion or changing its parent or location. The asset audit log helps you:

  • Have the full data history needed to comply with audits or for other reporting purposes.
  • Make decisions on how to improve operations by keeping the full history of work orders to assess the condition of current assets.
  • Reconstruct a specific state of your asset hierarchy by viewing the history of asset movements.

Asset History​

An asset's details page has a History tab that displays the log and messages about the history of the asset. The asset audit log is created from the asset's history. The asset history and audit logs are tied to the asset itself, and are updated for the following key actions:

  • Creation
  • Location changes
  • Parent asset changes
  • Restoring
  • Deleting

Download the Asset Audit Log​

You can download an asset's audit log to use for reporting or auditing.

To download the asset audit log:

  1. From the sidebar, select Assets.

  2. Select the asset you want to download an audit log for.

  3. Select (more options).

  4. Select Download History of Changes.

    The asset audit log CSV file is downloaded to your computer.

    The file contains the following columns:

ColumnDescription
DateThe date the action took place.
UserThe name of the user who performed the action.
TypeThe type of action. For example, a change in location.
ChangeA detailed message about what change took place. For example, the forklift was moved from the production room to a new location in the break room.