Managing Exceptions

This chapter provides an overview of exception management and discusses how to:

Access exceptions.
Manage exceptions
Manage assets not reporting.
View action errors.
Manage financial lists.
Work with the asset log.

Understanding Exception Management

Assets specific to Information Technology (IT), such as computers, are able to describe themselves via network messages. These messages are stored in the third-party inventory database. Matching these network messages to assets in the asset repository is a process that compares assets in the asset repository to inventory retrieved from the field. The comparison process (IT_RECON_RUN) generates a list of discrepancies or exceptions.

PeopleSoft IT Asset Management automates a portion of IT asset activity by comparing the databases, asset by asset, and determining which changes need to be brought to the attention of a manager. Many IT assets differ day by day and for asset management purposes, you compare a very small group of key attributes in each asset record. While some of the attributes you track can also change day by day, PeopleSoft provides business rules to manipulate what is compared and ultimately presented for reconciliation.

Exceptions between the asset repository and the third-party inventory database are stored in discrepancy transaction tables. The exceptions are displayed in a component that allows you to sort, display on certain assets, group, and act on the changes that are required for those assets to bring them into balance. There is a suggested action associated with each exception, as defined in the business rule, and that action is presented once you have defined the assets that should be corrected. Once that action set is submitted, online or batch processing will apply the predefined actions, and will route, update the ARM, or notify persons of interest, or a combination of those actions.

Assets Not Reporting

To exercise tighter control over IT assets, the IT asset manager needs to track assets that have not reported an inventory for a user-defined time period. Associating these assets with their custodians, department managers or content managers can help the IT asset manager trace the whereabouts of these assets in a reasonable amount of time. The IT asset manager can also ensure that corporate IT governance policies are followed adequately in the enterprise. IT assets represent a significant number of assets, so by tracking them and their individual financial impact effectively, the enterprise can realize significant cost savings in terms of redeployment of the assets instead of new acquisitions. By retiring the appropriate assets, if they have indeed been stolen and/or are missing, the Accounting department may benefit as well by reflecting accurate asset value on the balance sheet.

You can select assets of interest from the Manage Exceptions search results or from the Manage Assets Not Reporting results and save them in Financial Lists. The lists simultaneously become available to the Financial List Inquiry search and detail pages. This presents the saved data through a simple and powerful format where you can sort, select, remove assets and refresh financial totals based on selection changes. Route the selections to the Finance worklist or retire financial assets using the Financial List Inquiry detail page, which provides a link to the PeopleSoft Asset Management Retire Assets page. This provides an added convenience that minimizes multiple reviews of the same data if there is a small number of assets on the list.

Accessing Exceptions

This section discusses how to access exceptions.

Note. You can also access exceptions through the Inventory Exceptions pagelet.

Page Used to Access Exceptions

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Manage Exceptions	IT_EXCPT_SEL	IT Asset Management, Asset Discovery and Validation, Manage Exceptions, Manage Exceptions	Access exceptions.

Accessing Exceptions

Access the Manage Exceptions page.

General Information on Searching for Exceptions

The system displays a list of all searchable fields. The available search options are displayed based on whether there are business rules for the criteria. Search options can include three user-defined fields if you have created them. For each field, you can enter a search operator and the search text.

The dataset returned by the search is limited by your asset group as defined in IT Role Access, as well as the search criteria provided. When you navigate to this page via the portal pagelet, the search options are populated, but do not display the results in the Assets with Rule Exceptions grid until you click the Search button. You have the option to further narrow the search by adding search criteria before clicking Search to display the data. Click the search button to return all assets for the asset group and search criteria that have at least one attribute in exceptions.

When you have an asset group (role access) defined for an attribute, exceptions with null or blank values for that attribute are returned. For example, if the asset group is defined to include Business Unit US001 and there are exceptions for either Business Unit HR or Business Unit AM with blank, those are returned as well. The search includes blank or null values because some users of the Manage Exceptions page might be looking for certain assets that should be in their result set. By including null or blank business units in the search criteria, they still appear as assets. This applies to business unit, location, and department values.

If you choose to show the financial impact of assets, the Search Results grid is altered to display financial information by asset, such as the asset cost, net book value (NBV) and fair market value (FMV), as well as the total financial impact of the assets that you select from the grid. You can create an asset list showing related financial information, sort, filter and delete rows and save the financial list for later use. As the IT Asset Manager, you also have the ability to send an automated notification to the Financial Asset Manager for review of the proposed actions. The Financial Asset Manager is then able to initiate action by referring to the financial list, which contains the necessary summary and detailed financial information.

See Setting Up Financial Impact Analysis.

When there are more than 300 rows to return in the result set, you are able to retrieve the next set of assets using Search Next. However, any selections or changes made to the current set will be lost upon clicking Search Next.

Note. The Search only returns those assets that have attributes that are not in a Processed or Reconciled status.

This table lists the search operators that are available for field-level searching:

Operator	Description
<	The field value is less than the value you enter.
<=	The field value is less than or equal to the value that you enter.
<>	The field value is not equal to the value that you enter.
=	The field value is equal to the value that you enter.
>	The field value is greater than the value you enter.
>=	The field value is greater than or equal to the value that you enter.
Between	The field value is between the two values that you enter. You must enter two values. For example, suppose that you select Between and enter 100 and 200, the search returns values between 100 and 200 inclusive.
Is Empty	The field value that you are asking the system to search is blank.
Like	The field value is like the value that you enter.
No between	The field value is not between the two values that you enter. You must enter two values. For example, suppose that you select No between and enter 100 and 200, the search returns values below 100 and above 200.
Not like	The field value is not like the value that you enter.

Note. The search options Business Rule and Exception Attribute can only be used with the = operator. Both of these options are deciphered behind the scenes and only one value can be understood.

Searches

Use Saved Search	Provides access to all saved searches.
Save Search Criteria	Click to save the current search criteria as a saved search (either as a new saved search or as a modification to an existing saved search), enter the name of the saved search in the Save Search As field, and click Save Search.
Delete Saved Search	Click to delete a saved search, select the name of the search that you want to delete, and click Delete.

Search Criteria Fields

The search criteria fields on the Manage Exceptions page are dynamic. An attribute will be hidden if there is no active business rule associated with that attribute. User-defined fields must have an attribute created and must have an active rule to display. The label of a user-defined field is based on the value in the Long Name field on the User Defined Fields page.

Financial Search Criteria Fields

Financial List

Search for an existing Financial List to retrieve, review or edit. You can also enter a name in the field. If the Financial List name already exists, upon saving, you are asked if you want to overwrite the existing list or choose a new name. If the name you supply is new, you can create and save a new Financial List based on the assets you select.

Note. This field is visible only if the Financial Impact check box is selected within the Installation Options - Asset Management page.

Note. Validation occurs when a Financial List is selected as a search option. A list can only be retrieved without additional search refinement. All other search options are cleared.

Financial Impact

Select Yes to filter the result set to include only assets that exhibit Financial Business Rule exceptions. This selection may be used independently of the Financial Statusvalue that you select. The system automatically checks to see if a Financial List is selected as well.

Note. This field is visible only if the Financial Impact check box is selected within the Installation Options - Asset Management page.

Financial Status

Select to retrieve Financial Assets or Non-Financial Assets. This selection may be used independently of the Financial Impact selection. The difference between Financial Status and Financial Impact is that the Financial Status may be used to select all Financial Assets that have exceptions, including Financial Business Rule exceptions. This value defaults to Financial Assets if either Financial List or Financial Impact is selected.

Note. When Financial Impact is set to Yes, a search validation is executed upon clicking the Search button. As part of this validation, search options may be populated or cleared. This is done to assist you in making searches that are meaningful. For example, when the Financial Impact value is Yes but you select a Financial Status of Non-financial, the search yields no results. Non-financial assets, by definition do not have financial impact.
Additionally when Financial Impact is set to Yes, the only business rules that can be selected are those for Financial Impact Analysis and the only rule attributes that are allowed are Serial ID.

Search Commands

Search	Click to perform a search. The system searches for all possible matches and displays the results in the Assets with Rule Exceptions grid.
Clear	Click to clear data from the search criteria fields.
Search Next	When there are more than 300 rows to return in the result set, you can retrieve the next set of assets using Search Next. However any selections or changes made to the current set will be lost upon clicking Search Next.

Managing Exceptions

This section provides an overview of exceptions and discusses how to:

Set the batch limit.
Manage exceptions.
View custodian details.
View software exceptions.
Confirm actions.
Use advanced sort.

Understanding Exceptions

The reconciliation process between the third-party inventory database and the asset repository generates a list of exceptions. The list of exceptions allows sorting and filtering in numerous ways, enabling the investigation of exceptions and eventual reconciliation of databases.

The list shows attributes that exist in the third-party inventory database as well as the asset repository, such as serial numbers, for a group of assets, plus other important attributes where differences may be found. A shared serial number means the databases are talking about the same asset, so values in discovery (those values copied directly from the device) should match some of the values in the asset repository. Asset repository data may have typos or other errors, while automated device readings do not have typos. The attribute columns are sortable and there are filter parameters in the top half of the screen. The Advanced Sort Option leads to an additional sort page.

You can select one, many, or all rows of data using buttons or the check boxes at the left edge of the display. You can then choose to act upon the selected data.

Identifying Exceptions

The system displays disabled rows when an action on the asset is in process. This prevents assets that are currently being worked by the exception action process from being displayed and worked again. There is one row for each asset with all exceptions for that asset displayed in the row. For each exception there is a visual flag to identify it as a discrepancy.

Each attribute has its own status. Each status is associated with an icon so that you can visually identify the problem. Status columns are not sortable. Use advanced sort and sort by the exception of interest, for example “Department Exception.”

Action Settings

The Select Actions page displays all the rules and actions that are associated with the selected assets from the Manage Exceptions page. The purpose of this page is to show the actions that are available to be processed for the assets selected and to define the scope of the action the user is about to submit. The available action set can be optionally applied to a scope larger than the rows than were selected. The selected rows simply allow you to select the attributes you want to reconcile. Once you are on the Select Actions page, you select the individual actions for the attributes and the asset set (scope) for which you want the action to apply.

The display shows the rule description and the action associated with the rule. Where the actions are email, they are shown as hyperlinks.

Note. When a search is executed with Financial Impact selected, the only available action that will be displayed is Route to Finance. Route to Finance must also be included on the business rule in order for this action to display.

Understanding Batch Limits

Batch limits are established to determine whether or not to process the exception actions online, which launches processing of the actions immediately, or in a batch process, which starts the transactions in the background and returns control to the user before waiting for the process to complete. The high volume decision is made by counting the total number of actions that apply to the total number of assets that were selected by the user on the Manage Exceptions page. The default value is 100. Adjust this number higher or lower as your processing system performance requires or allows. Batch limit is set within the Installation Options - Asset Management page.

This table shows the exception actions and related processing:

Exception Action	Processing
Update ARM	Set processing
Add	Online – row by row Batch – set processing
Retire	Row by row
Email	Row by row
Route to Finance	Row by row
Move to Inventory	Row by row

Pages Used to Manage Exceptions

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Installation Options — Asset Management	INSTALLATION_AM	Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Install, Installation Options Click the Asset Management link.	Set the batch limit for PeopleSoft IT Asset Management and choose whether to display the financial impact of assets within PeopleSoft IT Asset Management.
Manage Exceptions	IT_EXCPT_SEL	IT Asset Management, Asset Discovery and Validation, Manage Exceptions, Manage Exceptions	Search for exceptions and perform reconciliations on the displayed exception list.
Custodian Detail	IT_EMPL_INFO	Click the EmplID link in the Custodian Discovery or Custodian ARM column on the Manage Exceptions page.	View custodian information associated with the asset. This page is display only.
Software Exceptions	IT_EXCPT_SFTWR	Click the Details link in the Software column on the Manage Exceptions page.	View details on software exceptions found on the asset. This page is display only.
Select Actions	IT_EXCPT_ACTN	Click the Select Actions link on the Manage Exceptions page.	Select actions and scope for specific business rules. Preview the scope for the action and scope combination.
Comments	IT_EXCPT_LOG	Click the Comments button on the Confirm Actions page.	View the comments added by the reconciliation process.
Sort	IT_EXCPT_SORT	Click the Advanced Sort link on the Manage Exceptions page.	Configure sort parameters to be used on the Manage Exceptions page.

Setting the Batch Limit

Access the Installation Options - Asset Management page.

Select the IT Asset Management Installed check box to access the ITAM Options group box.

Batch Limit

Run Manage Exceptions in either a batch or online mode. Batch mode is the appropriate choice for large numbers of exception transactions. The batch limit specifies the threshold for switching from online to batch processing. In this example, if there are 100 or more transactions to process, the processing will occur in batch; if there are fewer than 100, processing will occur online.

Enter the threshold to determine whether or not to process the exception actions online or in a batch process.

Financial Impact

Select this check box to display the financial search options and financial information within Manage Exceptions. When this check box is selected, the Financial List and Financial Impact appear on the Manage Exceptions and the Manage Assets Not Reporting pages as search criteria fields. Additionally, when there are assets that have exceptions, there is an additional tab that appears in the components called Financial Information.

Managing Exceptions

Access the Assets with Rule Exceptions page.

The system displays the exception icon beside each discrepancy that is found for the asset.

This icon appears if the attribute has already had an action performed for that attribute. Once an attribute for the asset has been processed it can't be processed again. This is true even if there is more than one action to take for that attribute. Once the first action has been applied in a session, a second action can't be applied for that attribute in a subsequent session. In order to apply further actions, a new Asset Comparison must take place.

Device Data Tab

Select the Device Data tab.

Note. The following definitions apply specifically to the business rules delivered with the system. The suggestions for reconciling this information may be different in your environment.

Serial Number Discovery and Serial Number ARM	Displays the serial number of the asset found in third-party inventory and the serial number of the asset in the asset repository. If the serial numbers match, you do not need to take any action regarding the serial number, so investigate the exception(s) that caused the asset to appear in Manage Exceptions. If the serial number (asset) appears in discovery, but not in the asset repository, the appropriate action choice might be Add Asset. If investigation reveals that an asset already in ARM is the same as that asset in third-party inventory, reconciliation allows you to update the serial number in the asset repository through the Manage Exceptions grid. Typos are not uncommon in Serial Numbers. Manage Exceptions deals with them effectively. In this scenario, there should also be an entry where the serial number appears in the asset repository, but not in the third-party database, and it is at that entry where you can update the ARM number on the grid to match the correct asset from the third-party inventory. If the new serial ID is updated, the exception associated with the third-party asset which is to be reconciled is removed from reconciliation because the updated serial id exception replaces the exception for the asset found in discovery, not found in the ARM. If you have also selected the third-party asset for processing, it will not be processed. Note. The system displays only those assets that are in your asset group.
Manufacturer Discovery and Manufacturer ARM	Displays the manufacturer of the asset found in the third-party database and the manufacturer of the asset in the asset repository. If the manufacturers match, you do not need to take any action. If the manufacturer appears in third-party data, but not in the asset repository, or there is a difference in the values, the default reconciliation action is to update the manufacturer in the asset repository. The values that are displayed are the descriptions of the Manufacturer field. Both the manufacturer description and the manufacturer ID will be updated in the ARM, if that action is executed.
Model Discovery and Model ARM	Displays the model designation of the asset found in the third-party database and the model designation of the asset in the asset repository. If the model designations match, you do not need to take any action. If the model designation appears in third-party data, but not in the asset repository, or there is a difference in the values, the default reconciliation action is to update the model designation in the asset repository.
Select Actions	Click this button to display the actions you may take on the selected assets. For each selected row, all of the asset's discrepancies and the rules and actions associated with those discrepancies are determined. Once determined, the rules and actions are presented on the Select Actions page.
Advanced Sort	The assets are sortable with the delivered grid sort (using the header column name.) so you can sort on all columns other than the exception flag columns. The advanced sort allows you to define a sort order by field hierarchy.
Review Action Errors	Click to view any action errors that may have occurred during the reconciliation. Action errors will show from previous reconciliations as well as from this reconciliation after the Submit Actions button is pressed on the Select Actions page. There may be some delay in generating action errors when processing in batch mode.
	Click the Log icon to access the asset log. The log is keyed by asset ID, so assets not appearing in the asset repository – i.e. those that appear only in third party data – have no log.

Business Data Tab

Select the Business Data tab.

Note. Resolving the custodian exceptions through your standard asset transfer processes for the Asset Repository may resolve department or business unit issues during the next asset comparison process.

Business Unit HR and Business Unit AM	The system displays the business unit associated with the primary user of the asset found in the third-party database and the business unit of the asset in the asset repository. If the business units match, you do not need to take any action. If the business unit appears in third-party data, but not in the asset repository, or there is a difference in the values, the default reconciliation action is to route the transaction to a financial asset manager for transfer.
Department Discovery and Department ARM	The system displays the department of the primary user of the asset found in the third-party database and the department of the custodian of the asset in the asset repository. If the departments match, you do not need to take any action. If the department appears in third-party data, but not in the asset repository, or there is a difference in the values, the default reconciliation action is to update the department in the asset repository, where the new department resides in the assets current SetID, or route the transaction to a financial asset manager for transfer.
Location Code Discovery and Location Code ARM	The system displays the location code that is derived from the IP address of the asset found in the third-party database and the location code of the asset in the asset repository. If the location codes match, you do not need to take any action. If the location code appears in third-party data, but not in the asset repository, or there is a difference in the values, the default reconciliation action is to update the location code in the asset repository.
Custodian Discovery and Custodian ARM	The system displays the custodian (also known as the primary user) of the asset found in the third-party database and the custodian of the asset in the asset repository. If the custodians match, you do not need to take any action. If the custodian appears in third-party data, but not in the asset repository, or there is a difference in the values, the suggested reconciliation action is to update the custodian in the asset repository, email the custodian, or email the primary user.
Software	If there is a software exception on the asset, the system displays the exception icon, and a link to the details of the exception. Click Details to access the Software Exceptions page. The suggested reconciliation actions are to email the custodian, email the custodian manager, email the primary user, email the primary user manager, or email software group owner.

Financial Information Tab

Select the Financial Information tab.

The Financial Information tab is displayed when the Financial Impact check box is selected in Installation Options and one or more of the financial search criteria are selected.

In List	This check box indicates that this asset has been saved to any financial impact list
Select	This check box indicates that the asset is a target for action on the Manage Exceptions page or for addition to a Financial List. If you click the Save button in the Financial Impact section, and this box is checked, another check will appear in the In List column beside the existing check. At this point, you can take action on the asset from either the Assets with Rule Exceptions grid or the Financial Impact section, if the Financial List is not yet saved.
NBV (net book value)	Net book value is calculated by obtaining the asset cost and the associated accumulated depreciation from the current effective row of the PeopleSoft Asset Management record, PS_DEPR_RPT. The calculated NBV is original asset cost less life-to-date depreciation (COST – DEPR_LTD.)
Cost	Asset cost is derived from the PeopleSoft Asset Management record, PS_DEPR_RPT.
FMV (fair market value)	Fair market value is derived from the PeopleSoft Asset Management record, PS_AM_FMV_DTL, accessing the current effective row.
Total NBV Selected,Total Cost Selected and Total FMV Selected	Respective totals are displayed when you select one or more assets from the Assets with Rule Exceptions grid.
Currency Code and Rate Type	Values default from those values supplied within User Preferences. See Defining IT Asset Management User Preferences.
Save List As and Description	Supply a name and description for the newly created Financial List, which includes the selected assets and their corresponding financial information.
Update Totals	Select to calculate or recalculate the NBV, Cost and FMV totals after selecting or altering the assets for inclusion in the list.
Save	Click to save the Financial List once you have provided a name and description and updated financial totals.
Notify Finance	Displays a notification page to alert the Financial Asset Manager that there is a Financial List in need of attention.
Archive	Select to archive the selected Financial List, along with Business Unit, Asset ID, and header information. You may select to archive a financial list when it becomes obsolete. The list then becomes a read-only document.

User-Defined Data Tab

Select the User Defined tab.

User-defined exceptions are displayed on the User-Defined tab. If you have no active user-defined rules, this tab is not displayed.

Selecting Actions

Access the Select Actions page.

Action Settings

Rule Description	This field displays the rule exceptions found in the comparison process with the available actions for each exception.
Available Action	Actions associated with email show as enabled hyperlinks. Click the link to view the message associated with the email. The message is display-only and will include sample data also stored in the message catalog. This preview message shows you what email string will be generated when the emails are sent out, once the actions are submitted. The messages will contain these parameters: Machine Name, Serial Number, Primary User Name, and Primary User EmplID. The software email includes those fields plus the software title. Available action values are: Update Asset Repository: This action generates simple updates or inserts into the Asset tables for the following attributes in exception: Model Manufacturer User-defined fields Serial ID Custodian Department Location Note. Because Department and Location are SetID controlled fields, the Business Unit associated with the asset may need to be updated prior to updating these attributes. If the Business Unit HR, which is derived from discovery, is associated with a different SetID than the department and location, then they can't be changed until the Business Unit is changed, otherwise the department and location would not be valid. If the update action is applied to these assets, it results in an action error. Retire Asset: This action only applies to non-financial transactions. These transactions are processed on a row-by-row basis and passed through the RETIRE_NF component interface. Add Asset: This action adds an asset and sets it ready to be capitalized. These transactions are executed row-by-row, through the BASIC_CI component interface, while processing online and in set based processing when handled in batch mode. Email Person: For each person action, create a message to be sent to that person. Route to Finance: Each asset that has routing as an action will be added to the worklists based on how the asset is to be worked. Update Serial ID in ARMUpdate the Serial ID in the Asset Repository.
Set Scope	Select the scope of the action to be taken. Values are: No Action: The system does nothing. Selected Assets: The system performs the selected action only against those assets that were selected on the previous page. Assets from Search Criteria: The system performs the selected action against all the assets that match the search criteria from the previous page. This action allows the system to perform the action against not only what could be selected with the select all functionality on the previous page, but also what may be outside of the component buffer. Since it is possible to have more rows match the search criteria than can fit in the buffer, this action allows them to act against the entire set. All Unreconciled ARM Assets: The system performs the action selected against all the assets that are in exception for the rule associated with this action in the ARM. Note. The system displays only those assets that are in your asset group. Note. When financial impact is set to yes, the Set Scope option of All Unreconciled ARM Assets is disabled.
Scope	Displays the count of assets that would be affected in each action row and by the action scope. The default value in the Scope column is zero. The sum of the scope count determines whether the actions are performed online or in batch.
Comments	Displays a system-generated comment based on the rule and action for that row. The default comment is Rule; Action; Scope. This comment is used by the update process to add a row to IT_ASSET_LOG for each action that is applied to the assets. You can modify the values in this field.
Preview Scope	Click this button to apply the search criteria defined by the scope of the action and display the number of rows to be affected by the scope in the Scope field. Note. Preview Scope generates counts and financial information totals if applicable, based on assets that are not in process. It is possible that the batch or online process can pick up additional assets that become available if they are in process at the time of previewing scope or at the time that the processing begins. The Preview Scope functionality takes into account the financial status of the asset as well as the Apply To value for the action as set on the Business Rule. The Apply To setting is not evaluated for the scope set until the Preview Scope button is invoked. For this reason, it is possible for the scope of the action to return a value of zero. If you suspect that there are assets that should be included in the scope, you should review the assets financial status as well as the business rule to make sure that the action is set to act upon that status (financial or non-financial)
Submit Actions	Click this button to launch the actions specified. The system will choose to run the actions online or in batch, according to ITAM options, and display a message to let you know which processing avenue was taken.

Using Advanced Sort

Access the Sort page.

The system displays the fields that are available for sorting. The sort order is returned to the exceptions page and the values are sorted.

Managing Assets Not Reporting

This section provides an overview of assets not reporting and discusses how to:

Define inventory age.
Define IT subtypes.
Manage assets not reporting.

Understanding Assets Not Reporting

The ability to track assets not reporting enables the IT Asset Manager to audit IT devices for reporting failures. This feature provides tighter control over the organization's equipment.

Non-reporting asset audit reports are based on the user-defined inventory age; that is the age of the last report that the asset made to the third-party inventory system. For example, an inventory age of three weeks may be defined for desktops. This means that if a desktop has not reported to the third–party inventory system for three weeks or more, it appears on the audit report. A different inventory age can be specified for each type of equipment, if necessary.

The system displays audit reports in two formats:

The online reporting page Manage Assets Not Reporting, where you can view assets with overdue inventory reports and specify resolutions.
The Assets Not Reporting portal pagelet, which provides counts of reporting failures for each type of device.

Using the online reporting page, you can choose from a number of available actions:

Send detailed email notifications to the custodian or the user, or both, or their managers.

The email addresses prompt from the emails that exist for the associated role. The email subject line and default text are predefined messages stored in the message catalog.
Route a proposed retirement transaction to Finance for financial assets.

This requires approval from the Financial Asset Manager, so choosing this action creates a worklist item for a finance user. Finance users click on this item in their worklists to bring up the Retirements page. This action is only available for financial assets.
Complete a retirement transaction for non-financial assets.

Non-financial retirement is triggered immediately. These transactions are processed on a row-by-row basis and passed through the RETIRE_NF component interface This action is only available for non-financial assets
Move to inventory.

This triggers a transfer into inventory for non-financial assets. This action is unavailable for financial assets.

Inventory Age

Inventory age is the age of last inventory beyond which the device requires investigation or action. The inventory age can be defined differently for different types of devices. For example, laptops may report inventory less often as they are physically connected to the network less often, so the age of the last inventory will often be higher than that of servers which are always reporting.

Inventory age time periods accrue, so longer time periods are included in shorter time periods. A device that has an inventory age of nine weeks will be included in six and three week sequences as well.

The inventory age sequence includes all discovered devices unless the IT Subtype is specified. Reporting on specific subtypes is only done if the Aging Inventory check box is selected on the Define IT Subtypes page.

Pages Used to Manage Assets Not Reporting

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Inventory Age	IT_TSPAN_DEFN_01	Setup Financials/Supply Chain, Product Related, IT Asset Management, Inventory Age	Associate the inventory age with the userID.
Define IT Subtypes	IT_MNT_IT_SUBTYPE	Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Product Related, IT Asset Management, IT Subtypes, Define IT Subtypes	Define IT subtypes.
Manage Assets Not Reporting	IT_UNDISC_DTL	IT Asset Management, Asset Discovery and Validation, Manage Assets Not Reporting, Manage Assets Not Reporting	View assets with overdue inventory reports and specify resolutions.
Send Notification	PT_WF_NOTIFY	IT Asset Management, Asset Discovery and Validation, Manage Assets Not Reporting, Manage Assets Not Reporting Click the Notify button.	Send email notification to finance, the custodian, the user or their managers.

Defining Inventory Age

Access the Inventory Age page.

See Setting Up Inventory Age.

Defining IT Subtypes

Access the IT Subtypes page.

See Defining IT Subtypes.

Note. Reporting will only be done on subtypes with the Aging Inventory check box selected.

Managing Assets Not Reporting

This section discusses how to:

Search for assets not reporting.
Review machine information.
Review responsible parties.
Review location information.
Review financial information.
Work with actions.
Add retirement comments.

Searching for Assets Not Reporting

Access the Manage Assets Not Reporting page.

The search criteria fields on the Manage Assets Not Reporting page are dynamic and are very similar to those on the Manage Exceptions page. An attribute will be hidden if there is no active business rule associated with that attribute. User-defined fields must have an attribute created and must have an active rule to display. The label of a user-defined field is based on the value in the Long Name field on the User Defined Fields page.

See Accessing Exceptions.

Reviewing Machine Information

Access the Machine Information tab on the Manage Assets Not Reporting page.

Select

Select the check box to perform an action on the asset or add the asset to a financial impact list.

Serial ID

Displays the Serial ID from the asset repository.

Manufacturer Name

Displays the name of the manufacturer from the asset repository.

ARM Model

Displays the ARM model from the asset repository.

Tag Number

Displays the tag number from the asset repository.

Last Inventory Date

Displays the date of the last inventory report that the asset sent.

Click the Log icon to access the Comments page.

Click the Notify icon to send email notification to appropriate personnel.

Reviewing Responsible Parties

Access the Responsible Party tab on the Manage Assets Not Reporting page.

All fields on this page are display only.

Reviewing Location Information

Access the Location Information tab on the Manage Assets Not Reporting page.

ARM Location Code and Location

Displays the location shown in the asset repository.

IP Address

Displays the last logged IP address reported by the third-party inventory database.

Working with Financial Information

Access the Financial Information tab on the Manage Assets Not Reporting page.

The Financial Information tab is displayed when the Financial Impact check box is selected in Installation Options and one or more of the financial search criteria are selected.

See Managing Exceptions.

Working with Actions

Access the Action tab on the Manage Assets Not Reporting page.

Financial Asset

This field indicates if an asset is a financial asset. If the asset is marked as a financial asset, the Retire a Non-Financial Asset action is not available. If the asset is not a financial asset, the Route to Finance action is not available. This prevents users from trying to retire a financial asset or routing a non-financial asset to the Finance department through workflow.

Action

When you select an action that sends an email, the system displays the Preview Email link. Click this link to view the email content.

When you select Retire a Non-Financial Asset, the Retirement Type and Reference Code fields become visible for entry, as does the Retirement Comments tab.

Preview Email

This column is displayed with links when an email action is selected. Click the link to preview the email content.

Retirement Type

Select a retirement type. Values are: Abandoned, Auto-Ret, Cannibal, Casualty, Disappear, Donated, Inventory, Like Kind, Missing, Sale, Scrap, Theft, and Trade-In.

Reference Code

Enter a reference code for the retirement, if applicable.

Adding Retirement Comments

Access the Retirement Comments tab on the Manage Non-Reporting page.

The Retirement Comments page is available only if Retire a Non-Financial Asset is selected on the Action page.

Apply

Click to apply the selected action to each row that is selected in the grid. The system intelligently applies actions to assets based off of the financial status of the asset and the financial implication of the action selected for application. For example, Retire a Non-financial asset will not be applied to a financial asset.

Note. TheSubmit Actions button must be invoked in order to execute the actions that are associated with each line in the grid.

Submit Actions

Click to submit all selected assets' actions.

Note. This action saves the changes.

Add retirement specific comments for any assets that are being retired.

Viewing Action Errors

This section provides an overview of action errors and discusses how to review action errors.

Understanding Action Errors

When you work with exceptions and assets not reporting, you select actions to perform on specific assets.

Actions that cannot be executed are stored so that information that is missing can be corrected. Actions that are prerequisites for other actions may need to be executed first, and therefore, may generate errors. If an action fails for any reason during either online or batch processing, the transaction is added to the error table.

Page Used to View Action Errors

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
View Action Errors	IT_ACTN_ERR	IT Asset Management, Asset Discovery and Validation, View Action Errors, View Action Errors	View action errors created during exception or non-reporting asset processing.

Viewing Action Errors

Access the Business Rule tab on the View Action Errors page.

Note. The Rule ID and Rule Option columns are not displayed for non-reporting asset errors.

Error Code

You can refine your search to display specific error codes. Error codes are available in the drop-down list. Values are:

Business Unit in another SetID

Component Interface Failed

Duplicate Serial Number

Financial Asset Retirement

New Serial Number not provided

No Email Address

No Employee ID

Route Non-Financial Asset

Worklist Creation Failed

Error codes are specific to the asset source.

Purge

Because Manage Exception cleans up the asset errors when any action is executed for that asset, the only time that there will be rows remaining for an asset are when the asset had a previous error, and then on a subsequent reconciliation was found to have broken no rules. For assets not reporting, you will need to select the rows to purge since the actions are not rule based.

Viewing Error Detail

Access the Error Detail tab on the View Action Errors page.

Review the details of the error.

Managing Financial Lists

This section discusses how to manage financial lists.

Pages Used to Manage Financial Lists

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Financial List Inquiry	IT_FIA_INQ	IT Asset Management, Financials and Leases, Financial List Inquiry	Retrieve and update existing financial lists that were created from either Manage Exceptions or Manage Assets Not Reporting.
Financial List Archive	IT_FIA_ARCH	IT Asset Management, Financials and Leases, Financial List Archive	Retrieve archived financial lists for review.

Retrieving Financial Lists

Access the Financial List Inquiry page.

The Financial list inquiry page is designed primarily to allow financial managers access to the financial lists without the need for security setup to ITAM pages. Managers are able to deselect assets from the list as well as retire assets on a line by line basis.

Routed

Indicates that the asset has already been sent to a worklist in an action either in Manage Exceptions or in Manage Assets Not Reporting or from the current context.

Retire

Click this link to initiate direct retirement of an asset from the Asset Repository. You are transferred to the Retire Assets page. One the retirement is complete, upon returning to the financial list, the retired asset is unavailable for further action.

Send to Worklist

Delegate selections to an existing PeopleTools Finance worklist.

Archiving Financial Lists

Access the Financial List Archive page.

Retrieve archived financial lists for review.

Working with the Asset Log

This section discusses how to work with the asset log.

Page Used to Work with the Asset Log

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
View Asset Log	IT_ASSET_LOG	IT Asset Management, Asset Discovery and Validation, View Asset Log, View Asset Log	Review the comments that have been added by manage exceptions. The log shows the actions executed by manage exceptions. Assets added through batch do not have an asset log created for them.

Select	Select the check box to perform an action on the asset or add the asset to a financial impact list.
Serial ID	Displays the Serial ID from the asset repository.
Manufacturer Name	Displays the name of the manufacturer from the asset repository.
ARM Model	Displays the ARM model from the asset repository.
Tag Number	Displays the tag number from the asset repository.
Last Inventory Date	Displays the date of the last inventory report that the asset sent.
	Click the Log icon to access the Comments page.
	Click the Notify icon to send email notification to appropriate personnel.

ARM Location Code and Location	Displays the location shown in the asset repository.
IP Address	Displays the last logged IP address reported by the third-party inventory database.

Financial Asset	This field indicates if an asset is a financial asset. If the asset is marked as a financial asset, the Retire a Non-Financial Asset action is not available. If the asset is not a financial asset, the Route to Finance action is not available. This prevents users from trying to retire a financial asset or routing a non-financial asset to the Finance department through workflow.
Action	When you select an action that sends an email, the system displays the Preview Email link. Click this link to view the email content. When you select Retire a Non-Financial Asset, the Retirement Type and Reference Code fields become visible for entry, as does the Retirement Comments tab.
Preview Email	This column is displayed with links when an email action is selected. Click the link to preview the email content.
Retirement Type	Select a retirement type. Values are: Abandoned, Auto-Ret, Cannibal, Casualty, Disappear, Donated, Inventory, Like Kind, Missing, Sale, Scrap, Theft, and Trade-In.
Reference Code	Enter a reference code for the retirement, if applicable.

Routed	Indicates that the asset has already been sent to a worklist in an action either in Manage Exceptions or in Manage Assets Not Reporting or from the current context.
Retire	Click this link to initiate direct retirement of an asset from the Asset Repository. You are transferred to the Retire Assets page. One the retirement is complete, upon returning to the financial list, the retired asset is unavailable for further action.
Send to Worklist	Delegate selections to an existing PeopleTools Finance worklist.