This introduction article will help technicians to understand the different components of an asset using the TDNext interface. The user must have the Assets app as well as several asset related permissions managed in TDAdmin.
Overview
In order to understand what asset data can be brought into TDX, it is important to understand the different components or layers of an asset record so you can map your current asset data as needed. Many of the components are not required but are recommended. If there is a piece of asset data that does not fit into an asset component, a custom attribute can be created.
Where to Find This
This feature appears in the TDNext interface.
The assets app inside TDNext is where techs can import asset data into the TDX asset components, and TDAdmin is where custom attributes can be created.
Navigate to the assets app and custom attribute creation screen following these paths:
- TDNext > Applications menu > Assets app > +Asset button and/or Import button
- TDAdmin > Applications > [Assets app] > Asset attributes > +New button
Using Asset Components
Below is an example of how an automobile might be tracked as an asset in TeamDynamix. The familiar components of a car can demonstrate how the different pieces of an asset fits together in TeamDynamix.
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COMPONENT
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CAR ITEMS
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Serial Number3,*
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Vehicle Identification Number (VIN #)
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Supplier1
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Used car dealership, a friend of yours, eBay, etc.
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Vendor1,2,*
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Chevy, Ford, Maserati, etc.
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Product Type
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SUV, compact car, trucks, etc.
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Product Model*
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F150, Silverado, etc.
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Location*
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A garage, your own driveway
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COMPONENT
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EXAMPLE OF ACTUAL DATA IN TEAMDYNAMIX
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Serial Number3,*
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3823742, or maybe AQ29521
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Supplier1
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Amazon, eBay, etc.
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Vendor1,2,*
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Dell, Apple, Microsoft, etc.
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Product Type
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Phone, Laptop, Monitor, Server, etc.
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Product Model*
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Samsung Galaxy SV, Samsung Galaxy SVI, iPhone 5, etc.
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Location*
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Miller Hall, or College of Education Building, etc.
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*Items that can be imported into TDX at some point in the process.
1Vendor and Supplier may or may not have the same value. For example, Amazon can be the Supplier of a computer, while the Vendor could be Dell, the company who made it.
2A Vendor can be marked as Manufacturer, Supplier, Contract Provider, as well as an Expense only Vendor.
3The Serial Number is the Unique Identifier (UID) that represents the actual asset in TeamDynamix. This is the entity that will be searched or clicked when adding assets to tickets or performing maintenance activities.
About Asset Components
- Assets Applications can be created on demand in TDAdmin. This can impact your strategy on where to import data because data imported into Asset app A does not automatically make it’s over to Asset app B.
- It is important to understand that the actual asset being tracked and associated with other assets is the Serial Number of the asset.
- Asset attributes can be added by a TeamDynamix administrator to track custom pieces of information:
- Assuming that these attributes are active, they will appear in the column headers of your asset import sheet so that you can upload directly into the field.
- Attributes can be created for Assets, Contracts, Products, and Vendors.
- Reporting on these items is very flexible, so the more data that is entered, the more powerful your reports can be.
- Asset statuses are customizable by a TeamDynamix administrator, so an organization might create statuses to represent its current area of use. For example, In Use, On Shelf, Down for Maintenance.
- In addition to being associated with tickets, assets can be used in your change management process, which is where items like Maintenance Activities, Blackout Windows, and Maintenance Windows come in. Contact your implementation consultant to learn more about these items in TeamDynamix.
Importing Asset Components
Always test imports in your sandbox before running the imports in production.
The sequence of steps for most imports:
- Perform a vendor import.
- Manually create product types.
- Perform a product model import.
- Perform an asset import.
Optional steps:
- Contract imports may be relevant to you but are not included in the usual asset import. Those should therefore be considered separately.
- There is an asset import utility that you may want to use. It can be found in the Downloads tab of your Applications menu inside TDNext.
- In some cases, running a second import on assets can perform an update of items already imported inside the tool.
- Each import screen inside the Assets/CIs Application has its own download template and set of instructions that can be viewed and downloaded.
Gotchas & Pitfalls
- It is common to forget the exact order the imports need to be performed. See the above section. For example, if you try to import assets in before importing vendors, you will see a bunch of errors.
- It is common to struggle to find an accurate source for asset data, and some clients import in bad data. It is hard to clean up bad data later, so it is better to import a smaller chunk of data that we know is accurate or clean up the original source of asset data and then bring it into TDX.