Editing and Updating Assets

Assets change over time—they move locations, get assigned to different users, or have updated warranty information. This guide shows you how to keep asset records accurate.

Who Can Edit Assets?

Role permissions:

• ✅ Owner: Can edit all assets
• ✅ Admin: Can edit all assets
• ✅ Manager: Can edit all assets
• ❌ Viewer: Cannot edit (read-only)

How to Edit an Asset

Method 1: From Asset Detail Page

1. Navigate to the asset:

   • Use Global Search (Ctrl+K) to find asset by name or serial number
   • Or: Dashboard → Assets → Click asset name

2. Click Edit Asset button (top-right of asset detail page)

3. Update desired fields

4. Click Save Changes button

What changes are saved:

• All field updates (name, location, assignment, status, etc.)
• New documents/images uploaded
• Audit trail automatically logs who made changes and when

Method 2: Quick Edit from Asset List

1. Go to Dashboard → Assets

2. Hover over asset row

3. Click ⋮ (three dots) → Quick Edit

4. Update fields in modal dialog

5. Click Save

Quick Edit limitations:

• Cannot upload documents/images (use full Edit page)
• Best for simple updates (status, location, assignment)

Editable vs Non-Editable Fields

Editable Fields (Can Change Anytime)

• ✅ Asset Name
• ✅ Category
• ✅ Status
• ✅ Purchase Price
• ✅ Purchase Date
• ✅ Warranty Expiry
• ✅ Location
• ✅ Department
• ✅ Assigned To
• ✅ Manufacturer
• ✅ Model
• ✅ Notes

Non-Editable Fields (Cannot Change)

• ❌ Serial Number (immutable after creation)
• ❌ Asset ID (auto-generated, system-managed)
• ❌ Created Date (historical record)
• ❌ Created By (historical record)

Why is serial number immutable?

• Preserves audit integrity
• Prevents tampering with asset identity
• Serial number is the unique identifier (like a fingerprint)

Workaround if serial number is wrong:

• Create new asset with correct serial number
• Change old asset status to "Disposed"
• Add note: "Duplicate—correct S/N is #AST-00456"

Common Edit Scenarios

Scenario 1: Assigning Asset to New Employee

Before:

• Assigned To: (blank/unassigned)
• Location: HQ - IT Storage Room
• Status: Active

After:

• Assigned To: Jane Smith (new hire)
• Location: Remote - Employee Home (Jane works remotely)
• Status: Active

Steps:

1. Edit asset
2. Set Assigned To: Jane Smith
3. Update Location: Remote - Employee Home
4. Save changes

What happens:

• Jane receives email: "Asset #AST-00123 has been assigned to you"
• Asset appears in Jane's "My Assets" view

Scenario 2: Updating Location When Asset Moves

Before:

• Location: HQ - Floor 1 - Reception
• Assigned To: (shared equipment, no assignment)

After:

• Location: HQ - Floor 2 - Conference Room B

Steps:

1. Edit asset
2. Update Location only
3. Save changes

Scenario 3: Sending Asset for Repair

Before:

• Status: Active
• Location: Remote - Employee Home
• Assigned To: Bob Jones

During Repair:

• Status: In Maintenance
• Location: Repair Shop - Dell Depot
• Assigned To: Bob Jones (still his laptop, just temporarily at repair shop)

After Repair:

• Status: Active
• Location: Remote - Employee Home (returned to Bob)
• Assigned To: Bob Jones

Steps:

1. Edit asset before sending for repair
2. Change Status to "In Maintenance"
3. Change Location to "Repair Shop - Dell Depot"
4. Save changes
5. Log maintenance record with repair details
6. When repair completes, edit again: set Status to Active, Location back to Remote - Employee Home

Scenario 4: Updating Warranty Information

Scenario: Extended warranty purchased after asset creation

Steps:

1. Edit asset
2. Update Warranty Expiry to new date
3. Upload warranty certificate document
4. Add note: "Extended warranty purchased 2024-06-15, new expiry 2027-06-15"
5. Save changes

Scenario 5: Transferring Asset Between Departments

Before:

• Department: IT Department
• Assigned To: John (IT Manager)

After:

• Department: Operations
• Assigned To: Sarah (Operations Manager)

Steps:

1. Edit asset
2. Change Department to "Operations"
3. Change Assigned To to "Sarah"
4. Save changes

Uploading Documents and Images

Adding New Documents

While editing asset:

1. Scroll to Documents section
2. Click Upload Document
3. Select file (PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX)
4. Optionally set Expiry Date (for warranties, certificates)
5. Save asset

Supported formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX
Max file size: 10MB per document

Adding New Images

While editing asset:

1. Scroll to Images section
2. Click Upload Image
3. Select photo (JPG, PNG, WEBP)
4. Save asset

First image = Cover Photo (shown in asset lists and dashboards)

Max file size: 5MB per image

Deleting Documents or Images

Who can delete:

• ✅ Admin
• ❌ Manager (can upload but not delete)

Steps:

1. Edit asset
2. Scroll to Documents or Images section
3. Click 🗑️ Delete icon next to file
4. Confirm deletion
5. Save asset

Bulk Editing (Future Feature)

Currently, you must edit assets one at a time. Bulk editing is planned for a future release.

Workaround for bulk updates:

1. Export assets to CSV (Dashboard → Import/Export → Export)
2. Edit CSV in Excel (change locations, statuses, etc.)
3. Re-import CSV (UniAsset detects existing serial numbers and updates them)

See: CSV Import Guide for re-import workflow.

Audit Trail

Every edit is automatically logged in the asset's Change History.

What's tracked:

• Which field changed
• Old value → New value
• Who made the change
• When the change occurred (timestamp)

To view change history:

1. Open asset detail page
2. Scroll to Change History section
3. Review chronological log of all changes

Example log entries:

• "Status changed from Active to In Maintenance by John Smith on 2024-06-15 10:30 AM"
• "Location changed from HQ - Floor 1 to Warehouse A by Jane Doe on 2024-06-16 2:45 PM"
• "Assigned To changed from (blank) to Bob Jones by Admin on 2024-06-17 9:00 AM"

Best Practices

1. Update Immediately When Changes Occur

• Asset moved? Update location right away
• Asset assigned to new user? Update assignment immediately
• Don't batch updates—real-time data is most valuable

2. Add Notes to Explain Significant Changes

When making major changes:

• Add context in Notes field
• Example: "Transferred to Operations dept due to role change—approved by CFO 2024-06-15"

3. Log Maintenance When Changing to "In Maintenance" Status

Don't just change status:

• Change status AND log a maintenance record
• Maintenance log explains why (what's being repaired, cost, technician)

4. Keep Warranty Info Up-to-Date

• When warranty is extended, update Warranty Expiry
• Upload new warranty certificate
• UniAsset alerts you 30 days before expiry (useful for renewal planning)

5. Verify Changes on Asset Detail Page

After saving:

• Review asset detail page to confirm changes applied correctly
• Check that email notifications were sent (if assignment changed)

Troubleshooting

Can't find Edit button

Cause: You're a Viewer (read-only access)

Solution: Ask Admin to promote you to Manager role

Changes not saving

Possible causes:

• Validation error (e.g., invalid date format)
• Network issue (check internet connection)
• Session timeout (log in again)

Solution:

• Check for error messages (usually in red at top of form)
• Retry after fixing validation errors

Assigned user not receiving email notification

Cause: Email went to spam folder OR user's email address is incorrect

Solution:

• Ask user to check spam folder
• Verify user email in Settings → Users
• Whitelist noreply@uniasset.app in email filters

Image upload fails

Cause: File too large (> 5MB) or unsupported format

Solution:

• Compress image before uploading (use online tools like TinyPNG)
• Convert to JPG, PNG, or WEBP format

Related Articles

• Creating Assets — How to create new assets
• Assigning Assets to Users — Assignment workflow
• Asset Status Management — Status definitions and workflows
• Audit Trail and History — Viewing change logs

Need Help?

If you encounter issues editing assets, contact support at support@uniasset.app.