Import existing inventory into an Asset Workspace

Understand the outcome

Treat an import as a migration: clean the data and review before confirming.

Assets lets you build the equipment registers your department actually keeps — apparatus, SCBA, medical inventory, turnout gear — as custom workspaces with 19 field types. Find records by barcode, get reminders before items expire, schedule recurring maintenance, and keep files, history, and checklist alerts on each record. The older category and location inventory has been removed.

Before you begin

Make the decision before changing the screen. Record the current configuration when the department already uses this feature, and use a test record or test account when the change can affect active members.

• Back up the spreadsheet.
• Create the workspace fields.
• Clean up identifiers and choice values.

Where to work and what access you need

Start from the portal destination named in the procedure. Administrators normally need permission to view Assets plus the specific create, edit, manage, approve, report, or all-record action used by the task. Visibility alone does not grant management access.

• Asset Workspaces/modules/assets/tables
• New workspace/modules/assets/tables/new
• Workspace records/modules/assets/tables/:id
• Configure workspace/modules/assets/tables/:id/configure
• Record profile/modules/assets/tables/:id/records/:rowId
• Due Work/modules/assets/due-work
• Settings/modules/assets/settings

Required foundation

• Core must be enabled and correctly configured before this workflow can operate reliably.

If your department uses custom roles, test the procedure with that role—not only with a full administrator account. This confirms the people responsible for daily operations can complete the workflow without receiving unrelated access.

Complete the task

1. Step 1Prepare the CSV

   Remove merged cells, extra headers, and blank rows.

2. Step 2Start the import

   Open the workspace’s import option.

3. Step 3Map columns

   Match columns to fields.

4. Step 4Review

   Fix invalid dates, unknown choices, and missing values.

5. Step 5Confirm

   Import the reviewed rows.

6. Step 6Reconcile

   Compare counts and sample records with the source.

Operational safeguards

Apply these module-level controls while completing the procedure. They prevent a technically saved configuration from becoming an operational or access problem later.

• Control point
  Start with one workspace and name an owner for its data.
• Control point
  Use a stable identifier or barcode for each record.
• Control point
  Keep station and apparatus lists current under Settings → General.
• Control point
  Set required fields and expiration thresholds before importing.
• Control point
  Test permissions with a normal member role.
• Control point
  Use Checklists, not Assets, for inspections.

Verify the result

Do not consider the setup complete merely because the save action succeeded. Confirm the behavior from the user-facing or operational view, then retain evidence of the test when department policy requires it.

• Row counts match.
• Identifiers are searchable.
• Dates and choices display correctly.

If any verification fails, return to the source configuration and correct it there. Do not edit a report or downstream record to conceal an incorrect setup.

Troubleshooting

Rows rejected

Read the row errors and fix the source.

Dates shifted

Use a consistent date format.

Duplicates appeared

Reconcile by identifier, then use bulk delete carefully.

Related Assets capabilities

This task sits inside a larger module workflow. These related capabilities may affect the result or provide the next administrative step:

• Custom workspaces with their own fields, icon, and color
• 19 field types, including expiration, barcode, currency, personnel, station, and apparatus
• Rear-camera barcode scanning with manual fallback, plus USB scanners
• Expiration reminders to roles and members with priority, email, and custom messages
• Recurring maintenance every N days, weeks, or months, with backdated completions and notes
• Due Work list covering the next 60 days across workspaces
• Record profiles with details, attachments, assignment, service, checklist alerts, and field history
• CSV import and export, plus bulk assign, status, retire, and delete

Use the module hub to open the dedicated procedure associated with any capability listed here.

Connected modules and downstream effects

A change here can alter what members see, what data appears in reports, or how another module completes its workflow. Review the connected areas below before making a department-wide change.

• ChecklistsApparatus, SCBA, and PPE checks with schedules and failed-item alerts.
• QuartermasterUniform and gear stock by size, role eligibility, requests, and issued gear.

After deployment, test one complete workflow from the originating module through every connected destination your department uses. Document the final configuration so another administrator can audit or reproduce it later.

Continue in Assets

Return to the Assets module guide for connected workflows, dependencies, portal destinations, and additional procedures.