Overview
While users can create assets individually within the Virtual Facility platform, often times during implementation it is helpful to add assets in bulk using the Inventory Upload feature. Administrators can upload spreadsheets of rooms, equipment, and systems to simplify inventory creation. This feature is available for users with Admin level permissions only.
How to Perform an Upload
The general steps for uploading an inventory file are:
- Determine Fields Available for Upload
- Prepare the Upload File
- Upload the File and Resolve Any Errors
- Inspect Results
1. Determine Fields Available for Upload
To upload an inventory, go to the Assets page and click the Upload button in the upper right. An Upload Inventory modal will open. Select the type of inventory to upload, either Room (for spaces) or Asset (for equipment & systems).
After this selection, the bottom part of the modal will update to display any required or optional fields for that type of inventory upload. A CMMS type can also be selected to specify additional fields available for mapping assets to that particular system.
2. Prepare the Upload File
The Upload File must be in CSV format and contain all of the required fields as columns. See the Field Details section below for specific information on each field. The required fields are also available in the on-screen help available in the Upload Inventory screen.
Overwriting Existing Values
When uploading a file, new entries will be added as an asset within VF. Any entries that already exist in VF will be updated as follows:
- For single values fields, such as asset_type, the uploaded value will overwrite the existing value.
- For multiple value fields, such as aliases, the uploaded value(s) will overwrite any existing values. A warning will be shown to alert users to this behavior.
- Blank fields will not overwrite any existing values.
3. Upload the File and Resolve Any Errors
After preparing the file for uploads, click Upload, then select the file to be uploaded. Click Open and the file will be uploaded. A success message will display if the file was uploaded successfully. An error message will be displayed if the upload failed. This error message will contain details of why the upload failed.
Processing time depends on the size of the uploaded file and can be up to 10 minutes.
4. Inspect Results
Consider creating a lens for the type of inventory you uploaded, so you can review the results in the solution and verify they match your expectations.
Field Details
Field values cannot contain the forward slash or backslash character. For fields with multiple values, use a semicolon to separate the values.
Asset Fields
| Column Name | Required | Editions | Notes |
| building | Yes | All | Name for the building that must already exist in VF. |
| asset | Yes | All | Name for the new asset that must be unique to the building. |
| asset_type | Yes | All | Must be a valid Asset Type. See note below for details. |
| aliases | All | Semicolon separated list of aliases for the asset. See Asset Aliases for more details. | |
| label | All | A tag for grouping assets, e.g., Critical Equipment or Chiller Plant 1 | |
| floor | All | Floor on which the asset is physically located. | |
| room_number | All | Room number where the asset is physically located. |
Notes
- asset_type must contain the long form or either a Equipment Type or System Type shown in the first column of the tables linked below. Abbreviations will not be accepted. See the articles on Equipment Naming in BAS Alarm Text and System Naming in BAS Alarm Text for more information.
Room Fields
| Column Name | Required | Editions | Notes |
| building | Yes | All | Name for the building that must already exist in VF. |
| floor | Yes | All | Floor name or number, which must be unique to the building. |
| room_number | Yes | All | Room number which must be unique to the floor. |
| room_name | Yes | All | Room name |
| space_type | Yes | All | Must be a valid Space Type. See note below for details. |
| aliases | All | Semicolon separated list of aliases for the room. See Asset Aliases for more details. | |
| label | All | A tag for grouping rooms, e.g., Critical Area or Emergency Dept. |
Notes
- space_type must contain the long form Space Type as outlined in the article Virtual Facility Standard Space Types.
CMMS Fields
CMMS Mapping to explicit rooms and assets is an Enterprise Edition feature. CMMS Mapping to a building is included in Pro Edition.
The CMMS mapping fields vary by CMMS and may include asset and location fields. If your CMMS isn't listed please contact our support team for further information.
WebTMA
Assets
| Column Name | Required | Editions | Notes |
| buildingCode | Yes | Enterprise | |
| equipmentTagNumber | Yes | Enterprise |
Rooms
| Column Name | Required | Editions | Notes |
| buildingCode | Yes | Enterprise | |
| floorNumber | Yes | Enterprise | |
| roomNumber | Yes | Enterprise |
IBM Maximo
Assets
| Column Name | Required | Editions | Notes |
| assetnum | Yes | Enterprise | |
| location | Yes | Enterprise |
Rooms
| Column Name | Required | Editions | Notes |
| location | Yes | Enterprise |
Accruent Maintenance Connection
Assets
| Column Name | Required | Editions | Notes |
| AssetRef | Yes | Enterprise |
Rooms
| Column Name | Required | Editions | Notes |
| AssetRef | Yes | Enterprise |
Hexagon (HxGN) EAM
Assets
| Column Name | Required | Editions | Notes |
| EQUIPMENTCODE | Yes | Enterprise |
Rooms
| Column Name | Required | Editions | Notes |
| LOCATIONCODE | Yes | Enterprise |