CSV Import Guide

Manually creating hundreds of assets is tedious. Use CSV import to bulk-create assets from a spreadsheet in minutes.

This guide covers:

• Downloading the CSV template
• Formatting your data correctly
• Handling validation errors
• Import best practices

When to Use CSV Import

Use CSV import when:

• ✅ You have 10+ existing assets in a spreadsheet
• ✅ Migrating from another asset management system
• ✅ Initial inventory upload
• ✅ Bulk updates to existing assets (export → edit → re-import)

Don't use CSV import when:

• ❌ Creating 1-5 assets (manual creation is faster)
• ❌ You don't have asset data in a structured format

Prerequisites

Before importing, ensure you've created:

1. Categories (Settings → Categories)
2. Locations (Settings → Locations)
3. Departments (Settings → Departments)
4. Custom Statuses (Settings → Statuses), if needed

⚠️ WARNING: The CSV import validates that categories, locations, and departments exist. If you reference "Laptops" category in your CSV but haven't created it in UniAsset, the import will fail.

Step 1: Download the CSV Template

Navigate to Import Page

1. Log in to UniAsset
2. Go to Dashboard → Import/Export (left sidebar)
3. Click Download CSV Template button
4. Save the file (e.g., uniasset-import-template.csv)

What's in the Template?

The CSV template has these columns:

Step 2: Prepare Your Data

Open the Template in Excel/Google Sheets

Option A: Microsoft Excel

1. Open the CSV file in Excel
2. Save as .xlsx for easier editing
3. When done, export back to CSV (File → Save As → CSV)

Option B: Google Sheets

1. Upload CSV to Google Drive
2. Open with Google Sheets
3. When done, download as CSV (File → Download → Comma Separated Values)

Fill in Your Asset Data

Required Fields

name:

• Clear, descriptive names
• Include manufacturer and model if applicable
• Examples: "Dell Latitude 5520", "Toyota Forklift FD25", "Conference Room Projector"

serialNumber:

• Must be unique (no duplicates across your entire inventory)
• Use manufacturer serial number if available
• If no S/N exists, create internal asset tags (e.g., "CHAIR-001", "DESK-042")

category:

• Must exactly match a category you created in Settings → Categories
• Case-sensitive: "Computers & IT" ≠ "computers & it"
• Use copy-paste from UniAsset to avoid typos

Optional Fields

status:

• Valid values: Active, In Maintenance, Damaged, Disposed
• Case-sensitive (must match exactly)
• Leave blank to default to "Active"
• If you created custom statuses, use those exact names

purchasePrice:

• Numeric only (no currency symbols)
• Valid: 1200, 1200.00
• Invalid: $1,200, 1,200 USD
• Use . as decimal separator (not ,)

purchaseDate and warrantyExpiry:

• Must be in YYYY-MM-DD format
• Valid: 2023-06-15
• Invalid: 06/15/2023, 15-June-2023, 2023/06/15

location and department:

• Must exactly match names from Settings → Locations and Settings → Departments
• Case-sensitive
• Use copy-paste to avoid typos

assignedTo:

• Must be the email address of an existing user
• User must already exist in your organization (invited and active)
• Invalid: user's name (must be email)

manufacturer, model, notes:

• Free text fields
• No validation rules
• Avoid special characters that break CSV formatting (", ,, line breaks)

Example: Properly Formatted CSV

name,serialNumber,category,status,purchasePrice,purchaseDate,warrantyExpiry,location,department,assignedTo,manufacturer,model,notes
Dell Latitude 5520,ABC123456789,Computers & IT,Active,1200.00,2023-06-15,2026-06-15,HQ - Floor 1,IT Department,john@company.com,Dell,Latitude 5520,Remote work laptop
HP EliteDesk 800,XYZ987654321,Computers & IT,Active,950.00,2023-05-20,2026-05-20,HQ - Floor 2,Finance,jane@company.com,HP,EliteDesk 800,Desktop workstation
Toyota Forklift,VIN123ABC,Vehicles,Active,35000.00,2022-01-10,,Warehouse A,Operations,,Toyota,FD25,Annual safety inspection required
Steelcase Chair,CHAIR-001,Furniture,Active,450.00,2021-03-15,,HQ - Floor 1,Operations,,,Leap V2,Ergonomic office chair

Step 3: Validate Your Data

Before uploading, double-check:

Common Validation Errors

❌ Duplicate serial numbers:

• Check for duplicate serialNumber values in your CSV
• Check if serial numbers already exist in UniAsset (export existing inventory first)

❌ Category doesn't exist:

• Verify category names exactly match Settings → Categories
• Create missing categories in UniAsset before importing

❌ Invalid date format:

• Use YYYY-MM-DD format only
• Excel may auto-format dates—check raw CSV in a text editor

❌ User not found:

• Ensure assignedTo email matches an existing, active user
• Invite users before importing assets assigned to them

❌ Invalid status:

• Use exact status names: Active, In Maintenance, Damaged, Disposed
• If using custom statuses, verify exact spelling

Pre-Import Checklist

• ✅ All required fields (name, serialNumber, category) are filled
• ✅ No duplicate serial numbers
• ✅ Categories, locations, departments exist in UniAsset
• ✅ Dates are in YYYY-MM-DD format
• ✅ Purchase prices are numeric (no $ symbols)
• ✅ assignedTo emails match existing users
• ✅ Statuses match valid values

Step 4: Upload the CSV

Navigate to Import Page

1. Go to Dashboard → Import/Export
2. Click Upload CSV button
3. Select your prepared CSV file
4. Click Import Assets

Review Validation Results

UniAsset validates your CSV and shows:

If validation passes:

• ✅ Green success message: "CSV validated successfully"
• ✅ Preview of first 10 assets to be created
• ✅ Confirm Import button appears

If validation fails:

• 🔴 Red error message: "CSV contains errors"
• 🔴 List of specific errors with row numbers
• 🔴 Import is blocked until errors are fixed

Example error messages:

Row 3: Serial number "ABC123" already exists
Row 5: Category "Laptops" not found (create it first in Settings)
Row 7: Invalid date format "06/15/2023" (use YYYY-MM-DD)
Row 12: User "bob@company.com" not found (invite user first)

Fix Errors and Re-Upload

1. Download the CSV again (or edit your local copy)
2. Fix the errors listed (see error messages for specific rows)
3. Save the CSV
4. Upload again
5. Repeat until validation passes

Step 5: Confirm and Import

Once validation passes:

1. Review the asset preview (first 10 rows shown)
2. Verify data looks correct (names, categories, prices)
3. Click Confirm Import button
4. UniAsset creates all assets in the background

What Happens During Import

• ✅ Assets are created with unique Asset IDs (e.g., #AST-00001, #AST-00002, ...)
• ✅ If assignedTo is specified, users receive email notifications
• ✅ All assets appear in Dashboard → Assets immediately
• ✅ Import log is saved (Settings → Import History)

Post-Import Verification

After import completes:

1. Go to Dashboard → Assets
2. Sort by Created Date (newest first)
3. Verify imported assets appear correctly
4. Spot-check a few assets:
   • Open asset detail page
   • Verify all fields imported correctly
   • Check if assignment worked (user received notification)

Updating Existing Assets via CSV

You can use CSV import to update existing assets (not just create new ones).

Export → Edit → Re-Import Workflow

Step 1: Export current inventory

1. Go to Dashboard → Import/Export
2. Click Export Assets button
3. Download CSV with all current assets

Step 2: Edit the CSV

• Keep the serialNumber column (used to match existing assets)
• Update fields you want to change (e.g., change status from Active to In Maintenance)
• Don't change serial numbers (creates duplicates)

Step 3: Re-import

1. Upload the edited CSV
2. UniAsset detects existing serial numbers
3. Updates those assets instead of creating new ones

💡 TIP: Use this workflow for bulk status updates (e.g., marking 50 assets as "In Maintenance" for annual servicing).

Best Practices

Start Small

• Import 10-20 assets first to test the process
• Verify they imported correctly
• Once confident, import full inventory

Use Consistent Naming

• Standardize manufacturer names (Dell vs DELL vs dell)
• Standardize category names (Computers & IT vs IT Equipment)
• Use a naming convention (e.g., always "Manufacturer Model" format)

Avoid Special Characters

These characters can break CSV formatting:

• Commas in text fields (use semicolons instead)
• Quotes " in notes (escape as "")
• Line breaks in notes (use single-line text)

Keep a Backup

• Save your original CSV before uploading
• If import fails, you have the source data
• Keep version history (import-2023-06-15.csv, import-2023-06-16.csv)

Verify After Import

• Spot-check 10% of imported assets
• Run a TCO report to verify purchase prices summed correctly
• Check assignment notifications were sent

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"File format not supported"

Cause: Uploaded an Excel file (.xlsx) instead of CSV

Solution:

• In Excel: File → Save As → CSV (Comma delimited)
• In Google Sheets: File → Download → Comma Separated Values

"Row X: Serial number already exists"

Cause: You're trying to create an asset with a serial number that's already in UniAsset

Solution:

• Change the serial number to something unique, OR
• If you intended to update the existing asset, verify the data matches

"Row X: Category not found"

Cause: The category name in your CSV doesn't match any category in Settings → Categories

Solution:

1. Go to Settings → Categories
2. Check the exact spelling (case-sensitive!)
3. Either:
   • Create the missing category in UniAsset, OR
   • Fix the category name in your CSV to match existing categories

"Row X: Invalid date format"

Cause: Date is not in YYYY-MM-DD format

Solution:

• Open CSV in a text editor (Notepad, VS Code)
• Check the raw date value
• Reformat to YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., change 06/15/2023 to 2023-06-15)

Excel is changing my dates automatically

Problem: Excel auto-formats dates, breaking the YYYY-MM-DD format

Solution:

1. Select the date columns
2. Right-click → Format Cells
3. Choose Text format (not Date)
4. Re-enter dates in YYYY-MM-DD format
5. Save as CSV

Import times out for large files

Cause: Importing 1000+ assets takes time

Solution:

• Break your CSV into smaller batches (200-300 assets per file)
• Import sequentially (batch 1, then batch 2, then batch 3)
• Contact support if you need to import 5000+ assets

Related Articles

• Creating Your First Asset — Manual asset creation
• Quick Start Guide — Initial setup
• Data Export Guide — Export inventory to CSV/Excel
• Bulk Operations — Update multiple assets at once

Need Help?

If you encounter CSV import issues not covered here:

1. Check error messages carefully (they point to specific rows)
2. Contact support at support@uniasset.app with:
   • Your CSV file (or a sample with 10-20 rows)
   • Screenshot of error messages
   • Description of what you're trying to accomplish