Overview

Categories let you group assets that share the same depreciation method, frequency, and financial settings. Each category can have sub-categories for more detailed groupings. You can also configure company-specific defaults for nominal accounts and costing within each category.

Getting here

Click Configuration in the sidebar.
Click Categories.

What you can do on this screen

View a list of all asset categories and their depreciation settings.
Search for categories by code or description.
Sort the list by any column.
Add a new category.
Edit an existing category.
Delete a category.
Expand a category row to view its sub-categories.
View how many assets are assigned to a category or sub-category.
Import categories from an external integration (if an integration is connected).

View the categories list

When you open the screen, a table displays all categories with the following columns:

Code -- the unique category code.
Description -- a short description of the category.
Method -- the default depreciation method.
Rate % -- the default depreciation percentage.
Period (Years) -- the default depreciation period in years.
Frequency -- how often depreciation is calculated.
Assets -- the number of assets assigned to this category.

You can sort the table by selecting any column heading. Select the same heading again to reverse the sort order.

Search for a category

Enter text in the Search categories... field at the top of the page.
The list filters as you type, matching against the category code and description.

View sub-categories

If a category has sub-categories, an expand arrow appears to the left of the row.

Select the expand arrow to show the sub-categories beneath the parent category.
Select the arrow again to collapse the list.

View assets for a category

Select the number in the Assets column for any category or sub-category. You are taken to the assets list, filtered to that category or sub-category.

Add a category

You need the create permission for categories to perform this action.

Click Add Category.
You are taken to the category detail page.
Fill in the required and optional fields described in the Field reference -- Category details section below.
To restrict the category to specific companies, enable companies in the Company Defaults section. See Manage company defaults.
Click Create Category.

The category is saved and you are returned to the categories list.

Edit a category

You need the edit permission for categories to perform this action.

On the categories list, select the category Code or Description link, or click the Edit (pencil) button on the row. You are taken to the category detail page.
Click Edit in the top-right corner.
Update the fields you want to change.
Click Save Changes.

Your changes are saved and the page returns to view mode.

To discard your changes, click Cancel instead.

Delete a category

You need the delete permission for categories to perform this action.

On the categories list, click the Delete (bin) button on the category row.
A confirmation message appears. If the category has assets assigned to it, a warning tells you how many assets are affected.
Click Delete to confirm, or Cancel to go back.

Deleting a category also deletes all of its sub-categories.

Manage sub-categories

Sub-categories allow you to create finer groupings within a category. You manage sub-categories from the category detail page.

Add a sub-category

Open the category detail page by selecting a category from the list.
Click the Sub-Categories tab.
Click Add Sub-Category.
Enter a Sub-Category Name (required).
Optionally enter Notes.
Click Create.

Edit a sub-category

On the Sub-Categories tab, click the Edit (pencil) button next to the sub-category.
Update the name or notes.
Click Update.

Delete a sub-category

On the Sub-Categories tab, click the Delete (bin) button next to the sub-category.
A confirmation message appears: "Are you sure you want to delete this sub-category? This action cannot be undone."
Click Delete to confirm, or Cancel to go back.

Manage company defaults

In the category detail page, the Company Defaults section lets you control which companies can use this category and set company-specific nominal accounts and costing defaults.

If no companies are enabled, the category is available to all companies.

Enable a company for this category

Open the category detail page and click Edit.
In the Company Defaults section, find the company and set its toggle to On.
Click Save Changes.

Edit company defaults

In the Company Defaults section, click Edit Defaults next to the company.
In the dialogue that opens, configure the following:
- Nominal Account Defaults -- select nominal accounts for asset cost, depreciation (balance sheet and profit and loss), disposals, revaluation (balance sheet and profit and loss), disposals bank account, and additions WIP bank account.
- Costing Defaults -- select a project and cost centre. If compulsory costing is turned on, these fields are required.
- Category Availability -- toggle whether the company can use this category.
Click Save Defaults.

Disable a company for this category

Open the category detail page and click Edit.
In the Company Defaults section, set the company toggle to Off.
Click Save Changes.

The company's saved defaults are kept so they can be restored if you re-enable the company later.

Import categories from an integration

If your system is connected to an external integration (such as Access Financials or Access Dimensions), you can import categories that do not yet exist in Access Assets.

This option is only available when a single company is selected and an integration is connected.

Click Import from [integration name] at the top of the categories list.
A dialogue displays the categories available to import. Categories that already exist in Access Assets are excluded.
Tick the categories you want to import, or use the top checkbox to select all.
Click Import [number] Categories.

Imported categories are created with the default depreciation settings (Straight Line method, Monthly frequency).

Field reference -- Category details

Field	Description	Required
Category Code	A unique code that identifies the category. Automatically converted to uppercase.	Yes
Description	A short description of the category.	No
Default Method	The depreciation method applied to assets in this category. Options: Straight Line, Reducing Balance, Sum of Digits, Period Ratio, None.	Yes
Default Frequency	How often depreciation is calculated. Options: Monthly, Quarterly, Half Yearly, Yearly, N/A.	Yes
Default Percentage	The depreciation rate as a percentage. Accepts up to three decimal places.	No
Default Period (Years)	The depreciation period in years. Accepts up to three decimal places.	No
Do Not Depreciate	When turned on, assets in this category are excluded from depreciation.	No
Compulsory Costing	When turned on, assets in this category require a cost centre before they can be saved or edited.	No
Management Report Column	Assigns the category to a column (1--10) on management reports. Select None to leave unassigned.	No
User Field 1	A custom text field for your own use.	No
User Field 2	A custom text field for your own use.	No
User Field 3	A custom text field for your own use.	No

Field reference -- Sub-category

Field	Description	Required
Sub-Category Name	The name of the sub-category.	Yes
Notes	Additional notes about the sub-category.	No

Field reference -- Company defaults

Field	Description
Asset Cost Nominal	The nominal account for asset cost transactions.
Depreciation BS Nominal	The nominal account for depreciation on the balance sheet.
Depreciation PL Nominal	The nominal account for depreciation on the profit and loss.
Disposals Nominal	The nominal account for disposal transactions.
Revaluation BS Nominal	The nominal account for revaluation on the balance sheet.
Revaluation PL Nominal	The nominal account for revaluation on the profit and loss.
Disposals Bank Account Nominal	The nominal account for the disposals bank account.
Additions WIP Bank Account Nominal	The nominal account for the additions work-in-progress bank account.
Project	The default project for costing. Required if compulsory costing is turned on.
Cost Centre	The default cost centre for costing. Required if compulsory costing is turned on.

Warnings and messages

Message	When it appears
Category Code is required	You try to save a category without entering a code.
Default Method is required	You try to save a category without selecting a depreciation method.
Default Frequency is required	You try to save a category without selecting a depreciation frequency.
Please fill in all required fields before saving.	You try to save a category with one or more required fields missing.
Category created successfully	A new category is saved.
Category updated successfully	An existing category is saved.
Category deleted successfully	A category is deleted.
Sub-category created successfully	A new sub-category is saved.
Sub-category updated successfully	An existing sub-category is saved.
Sub-category deleted successfully	A sub-category is deleted.
Are you sure you want to delete the category [code]?	You select delete on a category. Includes a note that all sub-categories will also be deleted.
Warning: This category has [number] asset(s) assigned to it.	Shown in the delete confirmation when the category has assets assigned.
Are you sure you want to delete this sub-category? This action cannot be undone.	You select delete on a sub-category.
Compulsory Costing Warning -- [number] asset(s) linked to this category do not have a cost centre assigned.	You turn on compulsory costing for a category that has assets without a cost centre.
Failed to load categories. Please try again.	The categories list could not be loaded.
Failed to save category. Please try again.	A category could not be saved.
Failed to delete category. Please try again.	A category could not be deleted.
Failed to save sub-category. Please try again.	A sub-category could not be saved.
Failed to delete sub-category. Please try again.	A sub-category could not be deleted.
No categories found	The list is empty or no categories match your search.
Imported [number] categories from integration	Categories were successfully imported from an integration.
Failed to import categories. Please try again.	An import from an integration failed.
Failed to fetch categories from integration. Please try again.	The system could not retrieve categories from the connected integration.
No new categories found. All integration categories have already been imported.	All categories from the integration already exist in Access Assets.

The Asset Records Screen