What are Document Assets?
A Document Asset is a document that is the asset — a licence, a permit, a registration, a certification. The thing you are tracking is the document itself, not a machine it belongs to.
When to use this module
Use Document Assets when the document is what matters:
- An operating licence that must stay current
- A vehicle registration
- A professional certification
- An insurance policy
- A permit with a renewal date
Document Assets versus attachments
This is the distinction that decides where something goes.
| Document Asset | Attachment | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The document is the asset | A file attached to another asset |
| Lives at | Dashboard → Documents | On the asset it belongs to |
| Example | The registration certificate you are tracking | The registration PDF filed against the van |
A vehicle's registration certificate is a document asset if the registration itself is what you are tracking. It is an attachment if the vehicle is.
Both are monitored for expiry. The difference is what the record is about.
Requirements
- Available on: Nova, Orbit, Odyssey, Cosmos
- Roles: Owner, Admin, Manager to create and edit
What a document asset holds
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Title | What the document is |
| Document Type | Passport, License, Insurance, Certificate, or Other |
| Identifier | The reference or number on the document |
| Issuer | Who issued it |
| Owner | The person it belongs to, if applicable |
| Issued Date | When it was granted |
| Expiry Date | When it lapses — this is what gets monitored |
| Description | Any further detail |
Expiry monitoring
Document assets are monitored for expiry in their own right. UniAsset raises:
- An expiring alert as the date approaches
- An expired alert once it has passed
Documents are shown with an expiry status of Valid, Expiring Soon, or Expired, and you can filter the list by that status.
This is what turns a folder of certificates into compliance tracking: you find out before the licence lapses, not during an inspection.
Where to find them
Dashboard → Documents. You can filter by type, owner, expiry status, and expiry date range.
Everything approaching a deadline across the organization — including document expiry — is consolidated at Dashboard → Upcoming.
Common mistakes
Filing an operating licence as an attachment on a machine. It then only surfaces when someone opens that machine. As a document asset it has its own expiry monitoring and appears in compliance views.
Leaving the expiry date blank. Expiry is the whole point of the module. Without a date there is nothing to monitor.
Tracking every document this way. Invoices and manuals belong as attachments on the asset they relate to. Document assets are for documents with a validity period that matters.
Troubleshooting
I'm not getting expiry warnings. Check the expiry date is set. Immediate email for critical alerts needs Orbit or above; every plan gets the in-app notification and the weekly digest.
A document shows as Expiring Soon too early or too late. The expiry status is based on the date you entered. Check it matches the document.
I can't create a document asset. Creating needs Manager or above.
I can't find document assets in the Assets list. They have their own module at Dashboard → Documents. The four asset types never share lists.
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