Managing asset inventory

In BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management, you can create bulk inventory CIs, reserve the CIs, deploy the CIs, relocate the CIs, and so on.

You can perform the following actions on the asset inventory: 

To place non-bulk CIs in inventory

1. Open a CI, as described in  Searching for records in the application consoles .
2. From the Status list, select In Inventory.
3. Click OK in the confirmation message that appears.
4. In the Search Inventory Locations dialog box, from the Location list, select a location, make sure other values are correct, and click Search.
5. Select a location and click Return.

6. In the CI Information form, click Save.

To create a bulk inventory CI

When creating CI entries for a large number of items, you do not need to create a record for each individual item. Instead, you can classify bulk items by the type of item, for example, cables or printer cartridges. After you create these records, you manage your bulk item quantities and your storage locations from the Manage Inventory form. You can also indicate the quantity and the base unit as defined by the application administrator and set notifications for reorder when the item reaches the specified reorder quantity.

Do the following steps:

1. On the Applications pane, go to Asset Management > Asset Management Console.

2. In the Functions pane, click Manage CIs.

3. In the Select a CI Type dialog box, from the Type list, select Bulk Inventory > Bulk Inventory, and click Create.
   

4. In the Bulk Inventory form, complete the following required fields:

   Field name	Description
   CI Name	Enter the name of the bulk inventory item, for example, Microsoft Windows XP.
   Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3	Categorize the item, as described in Creating and modifying CIs.
   Received Quantity	Enter the number of items received.

5. Click Save.

   Important

   Bulk inventory items are not tracked by a separate record for each item. Instead, bulk items are tracked by quantities of the item type. For example, cables used to connect desktop computers to the network do not require individual records but rather, one record for a bulk quantity of the specific cable type.

   Bulk inventory items can not be returned to inventory once they are used or reserved.

To create an inventory location CI

1. On the Applications pane, go to Asset Management > Asset Management Console.

2. In the Functions pane, click Manage CIs.

3. In the Select a CI Type dialog box, from the Type list, select  System > Inventory Location, and click Create.
4. In the Inventory Location form, in the CI Name field, specify the location name.

5. Complete the other, optional fields.

   Important

    If CIs related to this inventory location were created from a purchase requisition, they appear on the  Inventory Transactions  tab.

To place bulk CIs in inventory

1. On the Applications pane, go to Asset Management > Asset Management Console.

2. In the Functions pane, click Manage CIs.

3. In the Select a CI Type dialog box, from the Type list, select Bulk Inventory > Bulk Inventory, and click Search.
4. From the search results, open the bulk CI.
5. On the Inventory Location tab, click Add.
6. In the Search Inventory Locations dialog box, specify the search criteria and click Search.
7. From the Results List table, select a location and click Relate.
   A message appears stating that the selected inventory location has been related to the bulk inventory record.
8. In the message about the relationship, click OK.
   On the Bulk Inventory form, the Inventory Location tab lists each of the related locations.
9. If the inventory is stored in multiple locations, for each location, repeat step 6 and step 7.
10. Click Close.
    On the Bulk Inventory form, the Inventory Location tab lists each of the related locations. 
11. Click the Quantity Per Location field for a location, and type the quantity in that location. 
    Continue to enter the quantity for each location, until all the quantity in stock for the bulk CI is accounted for.
    
12. Click Save.

To view inventory locations

You can view the locations of all of your configuration items (CIs) from the Manage Inventory dialog box. If the status of the CI is In Inventory, the  Inventory Location  field is displayed under the  CI Information  section of the CI form.

1. On the Applications pane, go to Asset Management > Asset Management Console.

2. In the Functions pane, click Manage Inventory.

3. Specify your search criteria, and click Search.
4. Select a CI or bulk inventory item from the table, and click View Location.
5. In the Inventory Location form, view the CIs in the inventory

To relocate CIs

1. On the Applications pane, go to Asset Management > Asset Management Console.

2. In the Functions pane, click Manage Inventory.

3. In the Manage Inventory dialog box, specify your search criteria, and click Search.
4. Select the CI or bulk inventory item that you want to relocate, and click Relocate CIs.
5. In the Search Inventory Locations dialog box, from the Location list, select the location where you want to relocate the CI. If necessary, delete the default Company and Support Company values. Click Search.
6. Select the location where you want to relocate your CI.
7. In the Quantity field, specify the number of CIs that you want to relocate.
8. Click Relocate.

To reserve and use inventory

1. On the Applications pane, go to Asset Management > Asset Management Console.

2. In the Functions pane, click Manage Inventory.

3. In the Manage Inventory dialog box, specify your search criteria, and click Search.

4. Select the CI or bulk inventory item that you want to reserve and use.

5. Click the Transaction Qty column and specify the number of CIs or bulk inventory items that you want to use.

   

6. Click Reserve/Use Inventory. 
   The number of CIs or bulk inventory items in the Qty in Stock column is reduced by the number reserved and used. The number in the Trans Qty column is cleared. If you reserve the total number in stock, the item is removed from the table.

To deploy a CI

1. On the Applications pane, go to Asset Management > Asset Management Console.

2. Search and open the CI in Modify mode.

3. From the drop-down for Status field, select Deployed.
4. Click Save.

To deploy multiple CIs

1. On Asset Console page, perform search for a CI that you want to use from the reserved inventory.
   To search the CI from the reserved inventory, select the status as In Inventory. 
2. Select the CI from the search results that you want to move from the reserved inventory.
3. Click Modify All.
4. From the drop-down for Status field, select Deployed.
5. Click Save.

The following video shows you how to reserve a CI and deploy a single or multiple Cis:

  https://youtu.be/SUZZkwEwlpo

To release a reserved hardware inventory

1. On the Asset Console page, select Filter by > By Computer By Status > Reserved.
   The table displays all CIs with Reserved status.
2. Select a CI and open the record.
3. From the Status menu, select an option for releasing the hardware.
   For example, Deployed, In Inventory, Transferred, and so on.
4. Click Save.

To view hardware inventory reservations

1. On the Asset Console page, select Filter by > By Computer By Status > Reserved.
   The table displays all CIs with Reserved status
2. Select a CI and open it.
3. The CI form is displayed, select Functions menu > Reservation Details.
   The Manage Reservation screen shows the current hardware inventory reservations. 
   
4. Select a record and click View.
   If the request to reserve this hardware originated from an Incident Service Desk request, the Incident Request Information screen is displayed. BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management supports Service Requests, Incidents, Infrastructure Changes, and Work Orders for reserving hardware. To reserve hardware from within an application, use the Functions > Manage inventory option available on the left pane of the application console.
5. Click Close to return to the CI form.

To reserve a CI

You can reserve CIs only if you have Asset Management Administration and Asset Management Configuration permission and the status of the CI is In Inventory.

1. On the Asset Console page, select Functions > Manage Inventory.
2. In the Select a CI Type dialog box, from the Type list, select Bulk Inventory > Bulk Inventory, and click Search.
   The Manage Inventory screen is displayed. 
   
3. Enter your search criteria and click Search.
4. Select the CI and click Reserve/Use Inventory.
   The hardware is now reserved, and the record disappears from the table.
5. Use the breadcrumb bar to return to the Asset Console.
   The status of the CI is now Reserved.