Assigning Depreciation Types to Many Assets

Use Bulk Update to change the depreciation type for multiple assets in a single operation. This is the most efficient way to apply updated depreciation rules to existing assets — for example, when a depreciation policy changes and you need to update all assets in a category, or when you have corrected the category-level defaults and need to push the changes to assets that were created before the correction.

Prerequisites

• You must be in the Fixed Asset Management profile (see Fixed Asset Management Profile).
• You should know which assets need updating and what the new depreciation settings should be.
• Ensure you have appropriate user group permissions for bulk update operations.

When to Use Bulk Update for Depreciation

Common scenarios include:

Step-by-Step: Bulk Updating Depreciation Settings

1. Navigate to an asset list view (e.g. Asset Register > By Category).
2. Use the tree or search to filter to the assets you want to update.
3. Select the target assets using Shift+Click (for a range) or Ctrl+Click (for individual selections).
4. From the Actions on Selected Records menu, choose Bulk Update Assets:

The selected assets are highlighted in blue behind the menu.

5. In the bulk update editing screen, click the Depreciation Setup tab. The screen header confirms how many assets will be affected and that you are in bulk update mode:

6. The displayed rule is from the most recently created asset in the selection (highest AssetID). Make your changes:

   • Change the formula to the new depreciation type
   • Update the recovery period, salvage value, or other parameters as needed
   • Add new rules if you need to define a date-range split

7. Click OK to apply the changes to all selected assets.

Important Behaviour

• Changes apply to all selected assets. Every asset in the selection will receive the same depreciation rules you define on this screen. If you need different rules for different subsets, perform separate bulk updates for each group.

• No change if you click OK without editing. If you open the Depreciation Setup tab in bulk update mode and click OK without making any changes, the existing depreciation rules for each asset remain unchanged. This is a safe way to review the current settings without accidentally modifying anything.

• Existing rules are replaced. When you make changes, the new rules replace the existing rules on all selected assets. If some assets had custom overrides that should be preserved, exclude them from the selection.

Warning: Bulk updating depreciation rules on assets that have already been depreciated will affect future calculations but does not retroactively change past transactions. If past depreciation needs to be recalculated, use the Rewind function after making your changes. See The Monthly Accounting Process.

Tip: Before performing a large bulk update, consider running the Depreciation Setup Review query first to confirm which assets currently have incorrect settings. This helps you target the right assets and verify the results after updating.

Verifying the Results

After completing the bulk update:

1. Run the Depreciation Setup Review query (see Reviewing Depreciation Setup) to confirm the changes were applied correctly.
2. Spot-check a few individual assets by opening their Depreciation Setup screen (see Assigning Depreciation Types to Assets).
3. If everything is correct and you are ready to calculate, proceed to The Monthly Accounting Process.

Related Articles

• Assigning Depreciation Types to Categories — Setting defaults for new assets
• Assigning Depreciation Types to Assets — Overriding rules on individual assets
• Reviewing Depreciation Setup — Verifying rules before calculating
• The Monthly Accounting Process — Running depreciation after updating rules