Zoomed Image
USA
800 691 9120
UK
01225 704844

Deleting Assets

IT Asset Management Guide
Asset Management

Deleting Assets

Permanent deletion removes an asset record entirely from the database, including all its history, relationships, and associated data. This action cannot be undone -- the record can only be recovered through a database restore. In most cases, Disposal is the preferred approach because it preserves the record and its audit trail while removing the asset from active queries.

Prerequisites

  • In most installations, only users with Administrator privileges can permanently delete assets.
  • Ensure you genuinely need to remove the record. Disposal is almost always the better choice.

When to Delete vs. Dispose

Scenario Recommended Action
Asset sold, lost, stolen, or retired Dispose -- preserves history and audit trail
Duplicate record created by mistake Delete -- removes the erroneous record
Test data that should not remain in production Delete -- cleans up test records
Asset decommissioned but may need future reference Dispose -- keeps the record available for reporting

How to Delete an Asset

  1. Select the asset(s) in any results screen (a grid, query, or search results list).
  2. From the toolbar, open the Actions menu and choose Dispose of or Delete Assets. (From a single asset record, use the right-click menu and choose Dispose of or Delete this Asset instead.)
  3. The Bulk Disposal dialog opens, showing the number of assets selected. Under Asset Disposal, set:
    • Set Status To -- the status to apply (e.g. Sold, Scrapped).
    • Date Disposed Of -- defaults to the current date/time.
    • Permanently Delete this asset -- tick this checkbox under the Permanently Delete heading to remove the record entirely instead of just disposing it. When ticked, the Set Status To value is not applied -- the record is deleted regardless.
    • Use Batch Process -- under Batch Processing, tick this to run the operation as a background batch job instead of immediately (useful for large selections).

Screenshot

  1. Click OK to confirm. The asset is permanently removed from the database. Note: full disposals and permanent deletions also dispose of any child assets whose relationship to the parent has "Moves With Parent" selected.

Warning: Deletion is irreversible. The asset record, its full change history, all related transactions, and any parent-child relationships are permanently removed. The only recovery method is restoring from a database backup. Always confirm you are deleting the correct records before clicking OK.

Tip: If you need to remove a large number of test or duplicate records, consider using Bulk Update to first set a distinguishing status (e.g., "To Be Deleted"), then filter by that status and delete in a controlled batch. This reduces the risk of accidentally deleting the wrong records.

What Happens After Deletion

  • The asset no longer appears in any query, report, or dashboard.
  • Any parent-child relationships involving the deleted asset are removed.
  • Financial transactions linked to the deleted asset are also removed.
  • The deletion is not logged in the asset's own history (since the record no longer exists), but it may appear in system audit logs if configured.
  • Disposal -- the recommended alternative that preserves records and history
  • Un-Dispose -- restoring a disposed asset to active status
  • Selecting Assets -- how to select records before performing actions