How to use asset classifications

Let's say you've chosen Maintenance Connection as your CMMS to help you better manage your Assets. Every Asset has its own record in the system, and now you're ready to see this whole thing pay off. There may be no better place to start than with Classifications. Classifications are the primary means of organizing Assets by type, which in turn allows you to standardize data for groups of Assets, create a streamlined maintenance plan for different types of equipment, glean valuable data on your Assets based on their Classification, and the list goes on.

This article is meant to give you a basic framework for using Asset Classifications as a fantastic Asset management tool.

Most organizations retain the default setting that requires you to assign a Classification to every Asset. This assignment takes place during the Asset creation process, which is more fully described in the Asset Basics article, under the "How to Create a New Asset" heading.

Follow the steps below to assign a Classification to an Asset. These steps apply both during the Asset creation process, and if you want to change the Classification of an existing Asset later on.

• Access the Asset to which you want to assign a Classification. On the Details tab, click the dropdown arrow for the Class field.

• The Classification lookup will appear with the Classification hierarchy displayed on the left side of the dialog. Selecting a Classification record within this pane will populate the right side of the screen with all the child Classifications of the record selected. If you know where the Classification resides in the hierarchy, this is probably the simplest method for selecting the desired Classification record.

• You can also use the Search By and Search Value fields at the top of the dialog to search for the Classification by Name, Classification ID, or a User Defined field.
• Once the desired record appears on the right side of the screen, highlight the record by clicking on it, and then click the Apply button.
• Finally, click the Save button on the Asset record to assign the Classification to the Asset.

There is a substantial list of Classifications installed on the system by default, but if the current list does not have what you're looking for, you can create a new Classification. We will describe three methods for doing this.

From Classification Lookup

During the process described above for assigning a Classification to an Asset, we talked about selecting the desired Classification from the Classification lookup. If in that process you discover that the Classification you're looking for does not exist, you can create a new one by clicking the New button at the bottom of the lookup screen.

Another window will appear where you can input information about the new Classification.

1. Select a Parent Classification for this new record. The parent Classification will be one level above the new Classification in the Classification hierarchy. See the section below (under the header "How to Organize Classifications") for more information on organizing the parent-child relationships of your Classifications.
2. Add a new Name and Classification ID, keeping in mind that, if you are using the Asset ID Builder (described in the Asset Expert Features article under "Asset Preferences and Configuration" header) any new Equipment Assets with this Classification will have their Asset ID's prefixed with the Classification ID you define here.
3. In the Type field, specify whether the Classification will apply to Location Assets (Type "L") or Equipment Assets (Type "A," also known simply as "Assets"). Once again, when you assign a Classification to an Asset, the Type field will automatically be populated for the Asset with the type defined here for the Classification.
4. After filling in these required fields (and any other fields as desired), click the Save button, followed by the Close button. This will return you to the Classification lookup, where the newly created Classification will appear on the right side of the dialog. Select the new Classification and click the Apply button to assign the new Classification to the Asset.

From Classifications Module: New Button

You can also create a new Classification outside of the Classification lookup by clicking the New button from within the Classifications module.

The New Classification record will display in the WorkCenter on the right side of the screen. Fill in the required fields with the same process described above.

When finished, click the Save button. You can now assign this Classification to Assets as needed.

From the Classification List Pane

It may be easier to properly place a new Classification in the Classification hierarchy by using the right-click feature in the Classification List itself. To do this, right-click on the Classification node under which the new Classification should reside as a child Classification, and from the list of options select Add Classification.

A new window will open displaying the New Classification record, and the Parent field will already be populated with the record you right-clicked on.

Use the process described above to define and save the new Classification. When finished, the new Classification will appear beneath the proper node in the Classification hierarchy.

The Classification List/hierarchy functions in exactly the same way as the Asset Tree. For more information on this, check out the Asset Basics article under the heading "How to Navigate the Asset Tree."

Unlike the Asset hiearchy, the Classification hierarchy should not be organized by location or component, but by type. For example, it would be improper to place the Tire Classification as a child Asset beneath the Vehicle Classification because a tire is not a type of vehicle, but a component of a vehicle. Proper child Classifications of the Vehicle parent node would be Car, Delivery Truck, Forklift, and so on.

For more information on how to organize your Classification hierarchy, reach out to our Customer Success team to request one-on-one training.

The benefits of using Classifications to manage Assets can be seen from the perspective of several different features within Maintenance Connection. Here are some of the things you can do using Classifications:

Searching

There are several areas within Maintenance Connection where you might be trying to locate a specific Asset, or all the Assets of a certain type, in which case searching by Classification can come in handy. Searching in the Asset List and searching in the Asset lookup are the two primary examples of this.

To search by Classification in the Asset List, select the Search tab at the top of the List, and then set the Search By dropdown field to Classification ID or Name. Enter your search in the Search Value field, and the List will display the appropriate results.

Similarly, in the Asset lookup, you can set the Search By field to a Classification field, and then search for the Classification. This will cause the appropriate results to display on the right side of the lookup window. This is a useful tip any time you are using the Asset lookup to attach an Asset (or multiple Assets) to another record (e.g., PM, Procedure, Task, etc.).

Updating Assets in Bulk

The Asset Updater tool is the most efficient method to making bulk updates to Assets, and it relies on Asset Classifications to make these updates. For more details on how to use this feature, check out the Asset Expert Features article under the "Update Assets in Bulk Using Classifications" header.

Adding Assets to PM's and Procedures

Applying Preventive Maintenance to Assets based on their Classification allows companies to standardize maintenance protocols for different types of equipment, while also expediting the process of creating Procedures and PM schedules for individual Assets. There are two articles that will be especially helpful in teaching you how to use Asset Classifications to add Assets to PM's and Procedures:

• Preventive Maintenance and Assets, under the "Attaching Assets Automatically" header

Defining Asset Specifications

Asset Specifications add quantifiable (i.e., measurements or readings) and/or descriptive (e.g., paint color) details to Assets. Adding Specification records to a Classification can populate associated Assets with the same Specifications, thus allowing you to standardize important details for groups of Assets. Let's take a look at an example of how this works.

• Open a classification record.
• Select the Related Info tab, and then click the Add... button corresponding to the Specifications label.
• The Specification lookup will display, listing the available Specification records. Select the option for Air Cooling Capacity from the right side of the screen.

• In the dialog that appears, we can set the proper range for air cooling capacity for our HVAC units. As seen in this screenshot, we have entered the Minimum, Maximum and Optimal values for this Specification. We have also clicked the checkbox to create a WO on Failure. Next, click the Apply/Close button.

• Now, whenever we create a new Asset with the HVAC Classification, this Specification will be added to the Asset's Related Info>Specifications tab.

In following this process, we have just created a standard acceptable range for air cooling capacity for all of our HVAC units. By doing so, we can also use this feature to create notifications for maintenance needs, or automatically create Work Orders when Specifications aren't met. Remember selecting the option for creating a new Work Order on Failure? Now, if during the inspection of an HVAC unit the air cooling capacity has a reading below the acceptable minimum value we defined, the system will automatically create a new Work Order to address the low reading.

Reporting

Grouping Assets based on Classification makes it easier to glean historical data on Assets. This way, you can figure out, for example, the maintenance needs and costs associated with a certain type of equipment, the patterns of use and maintenance throughout the course of a year, and more. The Asset List by Classification report is a Base Report that can be set up to pull together this type of information.