Create, Edit & View Assets

Create and manage Maintenance Assets

Introduction

The primary elements of Enterprise Asset Management (EAM-BC) for Microsoft Dynamics® 365 for Business Central (D365BC) are Assets and Work orders.

An Asset is any type of equipment, for example, a machine, machine part or vehicle, which requires maintenance, inspection, or repair.

Prerequisites

Setup for Assets is completed.

Audience
Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Planner, Technician

Asset List

Asset lists show a list view of Assets and display various Asset details.

  • In your role center > Activities section, you may see several Asset lists shown as tiles, for example, Active assets and Critical assets. Select a tile to open the list.

From the Asset list, you can perform actions directly from the selected row. You just need to select the three dots in the selected row which opens a context menu with all available actions for this asset. For example, if the asset is virtual (you can't create a Work Order for virtual assets) you will see that the 'Create Work Order' action is disabled.

Filter assets

You can also easily check the number of assets based on a special filter (per: Category, Condition, Location, or Status). To do this, you need to change All (visible in the toolbar) to any other prepared option. E.g. if you choose 'Assets per Condition', a list opens with conditions on assets such as numbers of assets, active work orders, overdue work orders, etc.

Filter asset list based on category and location with children

You can filter the asset list based on categories and locations that include children. From the toolbar, select Filters > Asset Category, or Asset Location. In the dialog, enable the parameter 'Include Children' to include children. The asset list will then only consist of either categories or locations with children included.

View attributes

From the Asset List, you can open the list of all attributes assigned to your assets. To do this, select the Asset Attributes Overview action from the toolbar. It opens a list with all assets and their attributes that are assigned to them.

Active Assets List.
Active Assets List.
Assets tiles.
Assets tiles.
Context Menu on Asset List.
Context Menu on Asset List.
Asset per filter.
Asset per filter.
Assets per Condition.
Assets per Condition.

Manage Assets

This procedure applies to all Asset lists.

  1. In your role center, select an Asset tile.  
  2. Select the Asset you want to work with.
  3. On the right side of the screen, you see FactBoxes that shows additional information related to the Asset. You cannot edit content in the FactBoxes, they're read-only.
  4. At the top of the list screen, you see the action bar with action buttons. Here is a short description of the tasks included in the action buttons.
    1. Select All and select a filter, if you want to filter which Assets to show in the list.
    2. Select Search to search for an Asset.
    3. Select New to create a new Asset.
    4. Select Manage to edit, view, or delete the selected Asset.
    5. Select Related > Show as Tree to show the selected Asset in a tree view. The Asset is shown as the parent Asset, and any child Assets are shown. If the Asset is a child Asset in an Asset hierarchy, the parent Asset isn't shown in this view.
    6. In the field Person/Group Responsible (The field can be shown by going to Settings > Personalize) you can see or change the person or group who is responsible for this asset. This value in the field is automatically copied to any order created.
    7. Select Attributes to work with the Asset attributes for the selected Asset.
    8. Select Documents to work with documents related to the selected Asset.
    9. Select Work Orders to open lists of Work Order Plans, Work Orders, Round Order Plans, Round Orders, and Simulated Instances related to the selected Asset.
    10. Select History to get an overview of Ledger Entries and posted/completed Work Orders related to the selected Asset. You can also select Ledger Entries with Children, which will include the ledger entries for the asset's children. The child asset must be connected to the parent at the moment of entering the consumption to the ledger to be included on this list. Here, you also find a log with a complete timeline of all the changes registered on the selected Asset.
    11. Select Related > Forms to create an Asset Form, view Forms that need to be filled, view open Asset Forms, and view closed Asset Forms. If you are using Safe Work, completed inspections for Assets can also be viewed. Creating Asset Forms is useful in case you regularly need to specify information about Assets.

Asset Card

An Asset is any type of equipment, for example, a machine, machine part, or vehicle, which requires maintenance, service, or repair. The Asset card contains various data to describe and categorize the Asset.

An Asset card is created for each Asset. The Asset card contains various data to describe, categorize, and log information on the Asset. When maintenance or service jobs are required to keep your Assets in good working condition, you create Work Orders for the Assets. You use a Work Order to manage information and register tasks, which are related to the maintenance job you perform on an Asset.

Asset Managers use the Asset card to create and maintain Asset data.

Asset Technicians use the Asset card to look up information about the Asset, for example, status (new, active, scrapped), condition, and related documents.

Easy Access to Asset Children

Some assets are parents to other assets. To get easy access to all children of an asset whose card is open, use the Asset Children tab. This tab is hidden by default but you can show it using personalization.

From this tab, you can open the Asset Card of any selected asset from the list, or just easily and quickly create an asset that will be a child of the current asset, or add multiple assets as children at once.

Note, from the list you can only view children of the asset. If any asset from the list has its own children they will not be visible from the list.

Asset Label

Sometimes you want to put a label on an existing asset so you can easily recognize it. To do this, you can use the Print Label action from the Asset Card. With this action, you are able to print labels for the selected asset, or filter other assets to create labels for those. The final result depends on the layout that you are using. By default the layout is a barcode with the asset number and its description.

The default template has a layout of 4 cm x 1.5 cm (1.57" x 0.59") and the code is Code39. There are four options for coding: Code39, Code128, QR Code, and Aztec Code. Each of these codes requires specific font to be used:

The data set also contains:

  • Asset Location Code
  • Serial Number
  • Model Number

If needed, the default layout can be changed by you based on your needs.

Asset Card.
Asset Card.
Asset Children on Asset Card.
Asset Children on Asset Card.
Print Asset Label.
Print Asset Label.
Printing Asset Label.
Printing Asset Label.
Asset Label.
Asset Label.

Open Asset Card

In your role center, select an Asset tile.

In the Asset list, select a link in the No. column to open an Asset card.

The Asset card is divided into sections to give you a quick overview of Asset information.

Edit Asset Card

If you want to edit an Asset card, select the pencil button at the top of the page.

The data and edit options available to you depend on your role setup in D365BC.

From the action bar at the top of the screen, you may be able to edit or view more information about the Asset.

Asset Template

An Asset Template saves time when you create many Assets. Use Asset Templates to create Assets that contain identical setup, for example, the same values for Status, Condition, and Asset Location codes.

Based on the template setup, one or more fields on an Asset Card are automatically filled out.

You can:

  • Create an Asset Template.
    • You have the option to exclude it from asset creation, meaning that you will not be able to choose that template when creating a new asset. This can be done by toggling the Exclude from Asset Creation parameter in the 'General' tab.
  • Copy an Asset Template.
  • Add dimensions to an Asset Template.

Note that:

  • If you create one Asset Template, new Assets automatically use that template.
  • If you create several Asset Templates, a template list is shown when you start to create an Asset, and you select the relevant template.
  • When creating an Asset Template, you can choose to exclude it from asset creation, meaning that the Template can't be chosen in the future when creating assets.
  • If you are creating an Asset that does not apply to a particular template, select a template, then edit the predefined fields as you require.

Refer to Test Case section Work with Asset Templates below for related step-by-step procedures.

Refer to standard D365BC documentation regarding how to Work with Dimensions.

Create Asset Template

Data Requirements

  1. Asset Setup is completed.

Steps 15 expand

Expected

The user can create an Asset Template.

Search for Asset Template
Search for Asset Template

Copy Asset Template

Data Requirements

  1. At least one Asset Template exists.

Steps 9

  1. Press Alt+Q on your keyboard.

  2. Enter "asset temp" in the search field.

  3. Select Asset Templates.

  4. Select New.

  5. Enter a Code.

  6. Enter a Description.

  7. Select Copy Template.

  8. Select the template you want to copy.

  9. Select OK.

Expected

The user can create an Asset Template based on an existing template.

Add Dimensions to Asset Template

Data Requirements

  1. At least one Asset Template exists.

Steps 7

  1. Press Alt+Q on your keyboard.

  2. Enter "asset temp" in the search field.

  3. Select Asset Templates.

  4. Open a template by selecting its Code field.

  5. Select Dimensions.

  6. Select a dimension in the Dimension Code field.

  7. Next steps are standard D365BC functionality.

Expected

You can add dimensions to an Asset Template.

No. Series on Asset Template

Asset Template card can specify a No. Series (optional) for use on Assets created from the current Asset Template. When creating a new Asset with this Asset Template, the chosen No. Series will be used on the resulting Asset.

No. Series specified on the Asset Template card is used on new Assets.
No. Series specified on the Asset Template card is used on new Assets.

Create an Asset

From your role center, you can create a new Asset in different ways:

  • In the Actions section at the top of the screen, select the + Asset button.
  • In the upper-left corner of the screen, select the Assets menu item > Assets > + New button.
  • In the Activities section, select the Active Assets tile > + New button.
  • Select an Asset Template, and select OK.

The Asset Card page opens.

  1. Enter a Description of the asset. A sequential number is automatically added to the new Asset, and your selections and updates on the Asset card are automatically saved.
  2. Continue to fill out data in the General section, as you require.
    1. In the drop-downs, if you don't find a selection suitable for your Asset, select the + New button to open the related form and create a new record.
  3. If the new Asset is a child asset in an Asset hierarchy, select the lookup button in the Parent No. field and select a parent Asset.
    1. Parent Asset information is automatically inserted in the Parent No. and Parent Description fields.
    2. The child Asset inherits Asset Location from the parent Asset.
    3. The child Asset inherits Asset Attributes (shown in FactBox) from the parent Asset.
    4. Other values that are automatically added to the new child Asset are default values according to setup.
  4. If you want to add asset children to the asset, you have the option to add multiple at once. In the Asset Children section you can select the Add Assets button. In the dialog that comes up, select multiple assets by pressing down Ctrl. Click OK once you're finished to add the assets as children.
  5. If the Asset should be related to a Fixed Asset, select the Fixed Asset in the Fixed Asset No. field. Refer to Fixed Asset Integration to learn more.
  6. If the Asset should be maintained by a specific user group or user, select a group or person in the Person/Group Responsible field. The field can be shown by going to Settings > Personalize.
  7. If required, you can add notes or remarks in the Notes field.
  8. If you work with this Asset often, you can select Actions > Favorite > Add to Favorite. Then the Asset will be added to the Favorite Assets list on your role center.
  9. If you use Dynaway Safe Work > Risk Assessment module, you can select a Risk Assessment in the Risk Assessment No. field. This means that the hazards and precautions included in the Risk Assessment will automatically be transferred to a Work Order that uses this Asset.
    1. If you have selected a Risk Assessment, select Related > Active Risks to see the list of hazards and precautions that are included in the Risk Assessment.
  10. In the Location section, select an Asset Location Code. The related name is automatically inserted in the Asset Location Name field.
  11. You can add GPS Coordinates and Level (in a building or department), as you require.
  12. If a Counter is related to the Asset, you can add a Counter registration by selecting Process > Register Reading.
  13. If you need to specify information about Assets on a regular basis, you can create a form for an Asset by going to Related > Forms > Create Form. On the Asset Card, you can also view if the Asset has any Forms that need to be filled, view open Asset Forms, as well as closed Asset Forms. If you are using Safe Work, completed inspections for Assets can also be viewed.
  14. In the Items section, you can add and manage items related to the Asset. Read more about items in Asset Items.
  15. In the Finance section, you can specify the estimated hourly cost of the asset running (or not running due to downtime). This gives you insight into the financial impact of asset usage and downtime, which can be added to reports.
  16. The FactBoxes on the right side of the screen gives you an additional overview Asset data. You can edit data in the FactBoxes by selecting the arrow-down button next to a FactBox title.

Refer to Test Cases below for more step-by-step procedures on how to work with Assets:

  • Creating an Asset
  • Creating a Virtual Asset
  • Import / Change / Take / Download / Delete Asset picture

Creating an Asset - Step by Step

Data Requirements

  1. Asset Management Setup.
  2. At least one Status, Condition, and Category Code exist.
  3. At least one Asset Location Code exists.
  4. For release 1.2.0.0: There is no asset template in the database.

Steps 12 expand

Expected

The new Asset is created.

No. should be created automatically and its value depends on the last Asset in the database.

Creating a Virtual Asset

Data Requirements

  1. Asset Management Setup
  2. At least one Status and Condition exists.
  3. For release 1.2.0.0: There is no asset template in the database.

Steps 8

  1. Go to Assets > Assets

  2. Select New

  3. Fill the field Description

  4. Click on the field with Asset No.

  5. Select Status Code

  6. Select Condition Code

  7. Turn on the check box Virtual Asset

  8. Confirm change.

Expected

New Asset as a Virtual Asset is created.

No. should be created automatically and its value depends on the last Asset in the database.

Asset Picture

Importing Asset Picture

Data Requirements

  1. At least one Asset exists (with specified description)
  2. Prepared jpg/png file

Steps 7

  1. Go to Assets > Assets.

  2. Choose an Asset from a list by clicking on its Nos.

  3. Find Asset Picture in FactBoxes.

  4. Click on the arrow next to Asset Picture.

  5. Click on Import.

  6. Click on Choose.

  7. Choose the file.

Expected

The user can set a picture of an Asset.

Changing Asset Picture

Data Requirements

  1. At least one Asset (with picture) exists.
  2. Prepared jpg/png file.

Steps 8

  1. Go to Assets > Assets.

  2. Choose an Asset from a list by clicking on its Nos.

  3. Find Asset Picture in FactBoxes.

  4. Click on the arrow next to Asset Picture.

  5. Click on Import.

  6. Click on Yes.

  7. Click on Choose...

  8. Choose the file.

Expected

The user can change a picture of an Asset.

Taking Asset Picture

Data Requirements

  1. The user is using a mobile device with a camera.
  2. At least one Asset exists in the database.
  3. The chosen asset does not have a picture.

Steps 7

  1. Go to Assets > Assets.

  2. Select the Asset from the list.

  3. Find Asset Picture in FactBoxes.

  4. Select the arrow next to Asset Picture.

  5. Select Take.

  6. Take a picture.

  7. Select Use.

Expected

The user can take a picture with a mobile device and set up the picture as Asset Picture.

Downloading Asset Picture

Data Requirements

  1. At least one Asset (with picture) exists.

Steps 5

  1. Go to Assets > Assets.

  2. Choose an Asset from a list by clicking on its Nos.

  3. Find Asset Picture in FactBoxes.

  4. Click on the arrow next to Asset Picture.

  5. Click on Export.

Expected

The user can download an existing picture of the Asset.

Deleting Asset Picture

Data Requirements

  1. At least one Asset (with picture) exists.

Steps 6

  1. Go to Assets > Assets.

  2. Choose an Asset from a list by clicking on its Nos.

  3. Find Asset Picture in FactBoxes.

  4. Click on the arrow next to Asset Picture.

  5. Click on Delete.

  6. Click on Yes.

Expected

The user can delete the existing picture of the Asset.

Copy an Asset

You can copy an Asset to create one or more new Assets.

  1. Open an Asset Card.
  2. Select the Copy Asset action from the toolbar.
  3. In the Number of Copies field, enter the number of new Assets you want to create, based on the selected Asset.
  4. In the Target Asset No. field, define what number will be used for the created assets, or specify the Target No. Series to use defined number series.
  5. In the General*, Extended, and Work Order Plans sections, activate the toggle buttons (to show a green color) regarding the data you want to copy to the new Asset(s).
    • *You can copy the whole children structure of the original asset. To do that, select Children Structure. Note, if you use this function, all children will be copied and they will keep the original structure of parent/children relation.
  6. Select OK. A message is shown on the Asset Card you copied. Select the link in the message to see a list of the new Assets.

If you want to copy Assets with dimensions, follow the steps here.

Note: It's possible to copy Counters, Counter Categories, Devices and Measurements as well from the Extended tab. When copying Counters, you need to specify a 'Reading From Date'.

Asset structure of copied asset.
Asset structure of copied asset.
Created assets from copying.
Created assets from copying.

Set Asset Location

You can easily set the location for an Asset when you are located next to the Asset with the EAM-BC app running on a mobile device or in a browser on a laptop.

You can set or change a location for an Asset by going to a specific asset card or by going to the Asset Locations page.

Set or change location from the Asset Card

  1. In EAM-BC, search for and select the Asset you want to set a location for.
  2. Select the Update Geolocation button. Coordinates are automatically added to the Latitude and Longitude fields on the Asset Card.

Set or change location from the Asset Locations list

  1. In EAM-BC, search for and select Asset Locations.
  2. Select the Asset you want to change the location for.
  3. Select the Update Geolocation button. Coordinates are automatically added to the Latitude and Longitude fields on the Asset Card.
  4. When returning to the Asset Locations list, select Recalculate to see your recent changes.

You can also set the location on an Asset from a Work Order. On the Work Order Card, you select Process > Update Asset Geolocation.

You can block the update of GPS Coordinates when the Asset Location is changed which can be done by enabling Static Coordinates for the Asset. With this option enabled, GPS coordinates can be changed manually or by the action Update Geolocation. This is useful in a case when e.g. an asset is permanently mounted and the Asset Location is updated due to changes to the structure of the Locations. The field Static Coordinates is hidden by default.

You can view and edit Asset location on mobile and desktop apps. Refer to Test Cases below for step-by-step instructions on how to

  • View Location on the Map.
  • Change Default Values of GPS Coordinates.

Static Coordinates setting.
Static Coordinates setting.

Asset Location and GPS Coordinates

View Location on the Map (Address/GPS Coordinates)

Data Requirements

  1. At least one Asset (with Asset Location Code and GPS Coordinates) exists.
  2. The Asset Location Code has an address (including street, number, and city).

Steps 6

  1. Go to Assets > Assets.

  2. Select an Asset from a list by clicking on its Nos.

  3. Select Show Location on Map.

  4. Select This address and OK.

  5. Return to the Asset Card.

  6. Select Show on Map.

Expected

The user can see location details for the selected Asset.

Change Default Values of GPS Coordinates

Data Requirements

  1. At least one Asset (with Asset Location Code and GPS Coordinates) exists.
  2. The Asset Location Code has an address (including street, number, and city).

Steps 4

  1. Go to Assets > Assets.

  2. Select an Asset from a list by clicking on its Nos.

  3. Go to the Location FastTab.

  4. Change values in the Latitude, Longitude, and Level fields.

Expected

The user can change the default values (from the Asset Location Code) of GPS Coordinates.

Set Asset Status

From the Asset Card, you can easily set up the status of the asset.

You have to define the status in the Status Code field.
If your company is using Allowed Statuses, you can change the status with the hidden (by default) Available Next Status Codes field. It shows the statuses that can be set as the next status. This functionality may be useful to create a workflow in your company about the statuses of all assets. For example, if the asset is installed (status), it can't have the new status anymore.

  • You can select the text in the field and it will open the list from which you can select the status.
  • If there is only one status available in this field, selecting it will automatically set it as the current status.
  • In case when the next available statuses are not set up, or if the Status Code field is empty, then the Available Next Statuses field will have Any Status value, which means that you can choose from the whole list of status codes.

You can also use the Set Next Status action from the toolbar. It opens a list with available statuses, or change the status to only one available.

You can create workflows for when the asset status is changed. Read more about how to set up workflows using Power Automate in Business Central.

Updating Asset Status when Work Order has Started

An Asset Status can be updated when the Work Order has started. On the Work Order Group, Work Order Plan, and Work Order you can define what the Asset Status should be when the Work Order is being performed.

  1. Search for the Asset Management Setup in Tell Me.
  2. Find the field Started Work Order Status and select which Work Order Status defines it as started.
  3. Search for the Work Order Plans in Tell Me.
  4. Select one of the Work Orders Plans and look for the field Asset Status During Work Order (if it's not visible, you may have to add it via personalize).
  5. Select the Status that will be applied to the Asset when the Work Order is being performed.
  6. You can also ensure that the same Status will be applied to Child Assets of the Asset on the Work Order Plan by checking the field Change Asset Status Code on Child Assets.

You can do the same thing on Work Order Groups and Work Orders.

Available Next Status Codes.
Available Next Status Codes.
Set Next Status.
Set Next Status.
Set Started Work Order Status in the Asset Management Setup.
Set Started Work Order Status in the Asset Management Setup.
Select the Status that Asset should have during Work Order.
Select the Status that Asset should have during Work Order.
Select if you want to Change Asset Status Code on Child Assets as well.
Select if you want to Change Asset Status Code on Child Assets as well.

Assets List

1 About assets. An asset is any type of equipment, for example, a machine, building or vehicle, which requires maintenance and repair. You manage maintenance work for assets by creating [Work Orders](?page=70479598 "Opens the list of work orders.") for them.
2 Asset No. is set automatically. Identification of your asset. An asset can be related to a parent asset. In the asset tree, you can get an overview of the parent-child asset hierarchy.
3 Asset hierarchy in tree view. Show the selected assets in the tree view. You expand a tree to show various data related to the asset, for example, work order plans and related work orders, resources, items, and many more.

Assets Card

1 About asset card details. The Asset card contains various data that describes, categorizes, and logs information on the asset. When a work order is created for an asset, asset details are automatically transferred to the work order. All registrations related to an asset are available in logs and entries lists.
2 Set up a fixed asset relation. You can map an asset to a [Fixed Asset[?page=5601 "Opens the list of fixed assets.) to manage costs the fixed asset. Several assets can be mapped to one fixed asset.
3 Counters on the asset. Mount a counter on an asset to register, for example, production hours or quantity produced. [Counters](?page=70479611 "Opens the list of counters.") are used to create reactive maintenance work orders based on counter readings.
4 Manage spare parts on assets. [Items](?page=31 "Opens the list of items.") can be set up as maintenance items, and you can add maintenance items to an asset to ensure that you order the correct spare parts for your maintenance work. One asset can be related to several maintenance items, and a maintenance item can be used on several assets.

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