Asset Imports

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

This article explains how to import asset data into MaintainX from a CSV or Microsoft Excel (XLS, XLSX) file using the built-in asset importer.

Asset Import Workflow

The asset import process follows these steps:

Create a file to import: You can use a custom file, or the MaintainX asset import template (recommended).
Upload the file: MaintainX processes the data, and matches columns in the file to fields in the asset form.
Finalize column matches: Match any columns that MaintainX couldn't match, and correct any mismatches.
Review the import summary: MaintainX shows a preview of the data to import, and flags errors for specific rows and cells. If you need to, you can modify and re-upload the file.
Troubleshoot (if needed): If MaintainX can't import all your data, it displays error messages for specific rows and fields. They can help you fix problems so you can re-import that data.
Import your assets: If the import summary looks good, import the data to bring the assets into your organization.

Create a File to Import

This section explains how to create an asset file to import, and details the file requirements.

File Requirements

Before you upload a file, make sure it meets the following requirements:

Requirement	Details
File Format	You can upload files in any of the following formats: `.csv` `.xls` or `.xlsx` (Microsoft Excel)
File Size	500 rows or fewer. If your file has more than 500 rows, split it into smaller files before importing.

Use the MaintainX Asset Import Template

The import process works best if you use the MaintainX asset import template. The template includes all the supported fields (see Fields You Can Import) and is designed to work with the importer.

To download the asset import template:

From the sidebar, open the Settings menu and select General.
On the General tab, navigate to the Import Data section and select Assets.

The Asset Import Session screen opens.
Select Download Template.

The asset import template downloads directly to your computer.

Create a Custom File to Import

If you don't use the MaintainX template to import your asset data, you can import from a custom file. For example, an export from an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or enterprise asset management (EAM) system. In that case the importer will try to match the data in your file to the data MaintainX needs to create the assets.

Before importing, review the fields you can import, and make sure the column names for the data in your custom file match the column names that MaintainX expects.

Fields You Can Import

Column in File	Field in MaintainX	Description
Asset	Asset Name	The name of the asset. It can be up to 255 characters long. MaintainX can't import an asset if this cell is blank.
Parent Asset	Parent Asset	If you're importing a multi-level asset hierarchy, this is the immediate parent asset of the asset defined in the row. When MaintainX imports the assets, it builds the full hierarchy based on these relationships. For details, see Importing Asset Hierarchies. If you enter the exact name of an existing asset in this cell, MaintainX makes the imported asset a sub-asset of that asset.
Description	Description	A short description of the asset. It can be up to 4096 characters long (approximately 500 to 700 words). Make sure to include all the relevant details for the asset.
Asset Type	Asset Types	A text field to label the assets into types. This field can be used for filtering and reporting. Although an asset in MaintainX can have more than one asset type, your import file can only have one per asset. If you enter the exact name of an existing asset type in this cell, MaintainX adds that asset type to the new asset's Asset Types field. If you enter the name of an asset type that doesn't exist in your MaintainX organization, MaintainX creates the asset type when it imports the assets, and adds it to the new asset's Asset Types field.
Model	Model	The model name or model number of the asset.
Serial Number / VIN Number	Serial Number	The vehicle identification number (VIN) or serial number of the asset.
Bar code	QR Code Barcode	Barcode or QR Code used to identify the asset. To import it, enter the alphanumeric code in this cell. This appears as a QR code in the MaintainX application.
Location	Location	The location associated with the asset in your MaintainX organization. If you enter the exact name of an existing location in this cell, MaintainX associates the imported asset with that location. If you enter the name of a location that doesn't exist in your MaintainX organization, MaintainX creates the location when it imports the assets, and associates the asset with the new location.
Responsible Teams	Teams in charge	The teams responsible for maintaining the asset. Although an asset in MaintainX can be associated with more than one team, your import file can only have one team per asset. If you enter the exact name of an existing team in this cell, MaintainX associates the imported asset with that team. If you enter the name of a team that doesn't exist in your MaintainX organization, MaintainX creates the team when it imports the assets, and associates the asset with the new team.
Criticality	Criticality	How important the asset is in your organization. The only Criticality values you can import are: Normal Important Critical
Vendor	Vendor	The vendor associated with the asset. If you enter the exact name of an existing vendor in this cell, MaintainX associates the imported asset with that vendor. If you enter the name of a vendor that doesn't exist in your MaintainX organization, MaintainX creates the vendor when it imports the assets, and associates the asset with the new vendor.

Importing Asset Hierarchies

If your plan includes asset hierarchies, you can include hierarchical relationships in your import.

To import the hierarchy, each asset in your import file should specify its immediate parent in the Parent Asset column.

Let's say you want to import this asset hierarchy:

Your import file should look like this:

Asset	Parent Asset	Description	Asset Type	Model	Serial Number / VIN Number	Bar code	Location	Responsible Teams
Milling Machine
Cooling System	Milling Machine
Pump	Cooling System
Tank	Cooling System

Note that in the example above, Milling Machine doesn't have a parent asset because it's the root asset of the hierarchy.

The number of hierarchy levels you can import depends on the Asset Hierarchy Levels setting in your organization settings, and the maximum asset hierarchy depth allowed for your organization. For details, see Change the Number of Hierarchy Levels.

Upload Your Asset Data File

Upload asset data files from the General settings in the MaintainX web application.

Uploading from the Setup Center

If your MaintainX organization was set up recently, you'll also see a step to upload asset data in the Setup Center, which you can access from the sidebar.

To upload an asset data file:

From the sidebar, open the Settings menu and select General.
On the General tab, navigate to the Import Data section and select Assets.

The Asset Import Session screen opens.
Do one of the following:
- Select Upload new file.
- Drag a file from your computer onto the import screen to upload it.
After the file uploads, you have to do the following to complete the import:
- Review and adjust how columns in your file map to asset data fields in MaintainX. See Match Columns to Asset Fields.
- Review the import summary and troubleshoot any errors. See Review the Upload Summary.

Troubleshoot File Upload Errors

If MaintainX can't import your file, it displays an error message. The following table explains the errors you might encounter, and suggests possible fixes.

Error	Description	Fix
Barcode is already used in the organization by another entity	An asset in the import file has a barcode that an existing asset in your organization already uses.	Change the barcode for the asset in the import file.
Multiple Parents with that name, see rows: <NUMBER>	The import file has a duplicate asset (same name) and one or more assets in the file have that asset in their Parent Asset field.	Do one of the following: Change the name of one of the duplicate assets in the import file. Delete one of the duplicate rows from the import file.
Depth exceeded: depth of <NUMBER> exceeds organization max depth of <NUMBER>	The import file would create an asset hierarchy that has more levels than your organization supports.	Do one of the following: Update the import file so it creates a hierarchy with a number of levels that your organization support. To change the asset hierarchy, edit the Parent Asset field (see Importing Asset Hierarchies). Update your organization settings to support more hierarchy levels. For more information about viewing and changing the asset hierarchy depth, see Change the Number of Hierarchy Levels.
Assets import has <NUMBER> rows but you can only import 500 rows or less	The import file has more rows than the importer supports.	Split the import file into two or more smaller files, and import those.
Nothing to Import	None of the rows in the import file are valid. For example, you might have an invalid Criticality in every row.	Correct the errors and re-import the file. For more information about the format and column names MaintainX expects, see Fields You Can Import.

Handling Other Upload Errors

Depending on your MaintainX organization setup, you might encounter other upload errors not listed in this section. In that case, contact MaintainX Customer Support.

Match File Columns to Asset Fields

When you upload an asset data file, MaintainX tries to match the columns in the file to fields in the asset form. On the Match Column Headers screen, you can review the results and make corrections before you import the assets. You can't proceed with the import until you handle all unmatched columns.

Matching column headers from an asset import file to fields in the MaintainX asset form

	Description
1	Matched columns show the header from your file, and the asset form field it's matched to. Select the (close) icon to unmatch the column header. This is useful when you want to match the column to another field, or exclude it from the import.
2	Column headers that you map to a custom field have a Custom Field badge.
3	Unmatched columns have a (warning) icon to indicate that you have to match or ignore the column before you can import the assets. Select a field or create a custom field to match the column to. Select Ignore this for the import (4) to exclude the column from the import.
5	Select Ignore all unmatched columns to exclude all unmatched columns from the import.
6	The match count shows how many column headers from your file are matched to fields in the asset form.

Create a New Custom Field for a Column

If you want to map a column to a field that doesn't exist in MaintainX yet, you can create a custom asset field on the fly.

On the Match Column Headers screen, do the following:

Locate the section for the column you want to map to a custom field.
In the field selector, type the name for the custom field you want to create.
Select Create "<FIELD NAME>" as Custom field. A dialog opens.
Set the options for the custom field. For more information about field options, see Customize Asset Fields.
Select Create Custom field to create the field, and match the column to it.

On the Match Column Headers screen, a Custom Field label appears on the column's section.

Review the Upload Summary

After you finish matching file columns to asset form fields, the upload summary screen opens. The summary screen tells you:

How many importable assets and locations MaintainX detected.
How many rows could not be imported.
Why MaintainX could not import specific rows. For details, see Troubleshoot Row Errors.

Troubleshoot Row Errors

MaintainX ignores rows that it can't import, and displays error messages for those rows in the upload summary. You can't fix import errors from the upload summary screen. Instead, you can do one of the following:

Fix the errors in the import file, and re-import it.
Copy the lines with errors into a new import file, fix the errors, and import the new file.

The following table explains the errors you might encounter, and suggests possible fixes.

Error	Description	Fix
Asset name is required	The Name column, or equivalent, for this row is blank.	Add a name for the asset and re-import it.
Asset cannot be its own parent	The Name column and Parent Asset column, or equivalents, for this have the same value.	Specify the correct parent asset or name, and re-import the asset.
Asset already exists	An asset with the same name that appears in the Name column, or equivalent, already exists in your organization.	Verify whether the asset is actually a duplicate. If it isn't, give it a different name and re-import it.
Criticality value is invalid	If the import file has a Criticality column, the value for this row can't be imported. The only Criticality values you can import are: Normal Important Critical	Change the Criticality to one of the allowed values, and re-import the asset.
Invalid value	The column value for this row doesn't match any of the possible values for the field in your organization. This can happen when the column is matched to a dropdown type custom field in your organization, but the column value does not match any of the dropdown values.	Change the value to an accepted value for the field in MaintainX and re-import the asset.

Import Assets

When you're satisfied with the results of the asset data upload, you can import the assets to create them in your MaintainX organization.

When you import an asset:

The asset Status is set to Available by default.
The asset history shows that the asset was created by the user who imported the asset data.

To import assets:

On the asset upload summary screen, select Import Items.

A confirmation dialog appears.
Select Create Now to start the import.

MaintainX does the following:

Displays the newly created assets in the Assets module Table view.
Creates an entry for the import on the Asset Import Session screen.

Undo an Asset Import Session

You can undo an asset import session for up to 24 hours after the import. When you undo an import session, MaintainX deletes all the assets that the session created. If the session also created entities, or data that can be linked to other entities, MaintainX "soft" deletes them. For details see How MaintainX Soft Deletes Assets.

To undo an asset import session:

From the sidebar, open the Settings menu and select General.
On the General tab, navigate to the Import Data section and select Assets.

The Asset Import Session screen opens.
In the import session table, locate the row for the session you want to undo.
In the session row, select Undo import.

A confirmation dialog appears.
Select Yes, Remove Assets to delete all of the assets that were created in the import session.

How MaintainX Soft Deletes Assets

When you undo an asset import session, MaintainX "soft" deletes any entities or data that were created during the import. Soft deletion means you can still see the entities or data if they're already associated with other entities in your organization. But you can't select them from any lists to create new associations. They only exist to maintain associations you made before you deleted the import session. If the association ends, the MaintainX removes the entity or data completely.

Soft deletion applies to the following entities and data that you create during an asset import session:

Entities:
- Assets
  Example: Undoing an asset import session deletes assets
  Let's say you do the following:
  
  Import two new assets, called Forklift 1 and Forklift 2.
  
  Create Drum Grabber 1 from the Assets module.
  
  Make Drum Grabber 1 a sub-asset of Forklift 2.
  
  Undo the import session, which deletes Forklift 1 and Forklift 2.
  
  You can still see Forklift 2 when you view or edit Drum Grabber 1's details, but it doesn't appear anywhere else. For example, you can't make it the parent asset of any other asset.
  If you assign Drum Grabber 1 to a different parent asset later, Forklift 2 won't be visible in your organization at all.
- Locations
  Example: Undoing an asset import session deletes a location
  Let's say you do the following:
  
  Import two new assets, called Forklift 1 and Forklift 2. The import session also creates a new location, called Garage 1.
  
  Create Forklift 3 from the Assets module, and associate it with Garage 1.
  
  Undo the import session, which deletes Forklift 1, Forklift 2, and Garage 1.
  
  You can still see Garage 1 when you view or edit Forklift 3's details, but it doesn't appear anywhere else. For example, you can't choose it from the Location list to associate it with another asset.
  If you associate Forklift 3 with a different location later, Garage 1 won't be visible in your organization at all.
- Team
  Example: Undoing an asset import session deletes a team
  Let's say you do the following:
  
  Import two new assets, called Forklift 1 and Forklift 2, with Forklift Maintenance Crew in the Responsible Teams field.
  
  The import session also creates a new team, called Forklift Maintenance Crew.
  
  Create a recurring work order assigned to Forklift Maintenance Crew.
  
  Undo the import session, which deletes Forklift 1, Forklift 2, and Forklift Maintenance Crew.
  
  You can still see Forklift Maintenance Crew as the assigned team when you view or edit the work order, but it doesn't appear anywhere else. For example, you can't assign other work orders to that team, or assign the team to any assets.
  If you remove Forklift Maintenance Crew from the work order and assign a different team, Forklift Maintenance Crew won't be visible in your organization at all.
Data:
- Asset Type
  Example: Undoing an asset import session deletes an asset type
  Let's say you do the following:
  
  Import two new assets, called Forklift 1 and Forklift 2 with New Asset Type in the Asset Type field. The import session also creates a new asset type, called New Asset Type.
  
  Create Forklift 3 from the Assets module and add New Asset Type to its Asset Types.
  
  Undo the import session, which deletes Forklift 1, Forklift 2, and New Asset Type.
  
  You can still see New Asset Type when you view or edit Forklift 3's details, but it doesn't appear anywhere else. You can't add New Asset Type to any other asset's Asset Types.
  If you remove New Asset Type from Forklift 3's Asset Types, New Asset Type won't be visible in your organization at all.

Other Ways to Import Assets

You can also have MaintainX import your assets into your organization for you. To get started, contact MaintainX Customer Support.

Asset Import Workflow​

Create a File to Import​

File Requirements​

Use the MaintainX Asset Import Template​

Create a Custom File to Import​

Fields You Can Import​

Importing Asset Hierarchies​

Upload Your Asset Data File​

Troubleshoot File Upload Errors​

Match File Columns to Asset Fields​

Create a New Custom Field for a Column​

Review the Upload Summary​

Troubleshoot Row Errors​

Import Assets​

Undo an Asset Import Session​

How MaintainX Soft Deletes Assets​

Other Ways to Import Assets​