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Configuring an object schema for IT Asset Management (ITAM)
Assets in Jira Service Management is a Premium and Enterprise only feature. Learn more about Assets.
How to use this guide
This step-by-step guide will walk you through configuring an object schema in Assets.
Each step will include detailed instructions about how to use Assets in Jira Service Management, and also some tips and best practices about how to get the most out of this powerful feature when using it as part of your team’s IT Asset Management (ITAM) process.
There are two types of information in this guide:
The headers with the blue background will help you get started in Assets. They will provide you with information about each step in the guide, including examples of data and how each feature can be used.
The text with the white background will give you a series of steps to help you navigate through Assets, or it will contain detailed information about an Assets concept.
And some notes about the text:
Information in bold indicates text that you will find in Assets itself, such as the name of a menu option, a feature you can toggle on and off, or a button.
Information in code is text that’s part of our example object schema for IT Asset Management (ITAM).
Information in bold italics is a concept or idea that forms an important part of Assets.
Understanding statuses
Our object schema is looking great!
We’ve created a new object schema to hold both our Hardware assets in our inventory, and the Models that will fill up our catalog.
We’ve also created a bunch of different object types, and we’ve enabled inheritance so child object types can inherit information from the parents. We’ve even added some unique and shared attribute types to contain details about our assets.
But an object schema isn’t just for holding object types and attributes. It’s also a way to hold general information, such as statuses, icons, and reference types.
Let’s find out more about statuses first.
A status is a type of attribute that can be added to an object type in Assets in Jira Service Management. For example, a server could have the attribute status as “Running” or “Stopped” depending on if the server is working or not.
Assets includes a set of default statuses, but you can also add new statuses as attributes to represent the different states of objects and configuration items in your network.
Statuses can be global, or they can be specific to an object schema depending on whether they are configured in Assets > General configuration or Object schema > Configuration.
Object schema specific statuses can only be used in that schema, whereas global statuses can be used in any schema.
Each status includes an optional description and a general category - active, pending, or inactive.
Creating new statuses
Let’s create some new statuses to capture all of the different states that objects in our IT assets management process could be in. For each status we will add a Description of the status, as well as a general Category.
Disposed | Asset is disposed and removed from accounting records. | Inactive
In stock | Asset is in stock but not in use. | Pending
In transit | Asset is being transported. | Pending
In use | Asset is deployed and functioning. | Active
Missing | Asset is not found in its expected location. | | Inactive
Ordered | Asset is deployed but no longer in use. | Pending
Retired | Asset is retired and no longer in use. | Inactive
Statuses can be created at an Assets configuration level, in which case they are applied to all schemas. To add statuses at this level, you must be logged in as a Jira admin.
Statuses can also be created for an individual schema. To do this, you need to have Object Schema Manager permissions.
To add statuses for all schemas:
Select Assets, and then select Schema configuration at top-right.
Under the Global statuses tab, select Create a status.
Enter a name for the status, and select a Category.
Select Create.
To create statuses for an individual schema:
Select Assets, then select an object schema.
Select Schema configuration.
Under the Statuses tab, select Create a status.
Enter a name for the status, and select a Category.
Select Create.
Understanding icons
Now that we have created statuses for our ITAM processes, let’s take a look at icons.
An icon is used in Assets in Jira Service Management to represent a particular object type.
When you create a new object type, you’ll have the option to select an icon for that object type. The icon you select will appear anywhere that object type is shown.
Creating new icons
We’re building this schema for IT assets management (ITAM), so let’s add some icons specific to the kind of assets we are dealing with.
We’ll grab some frequently used icons - anything will do - and upload them as an example.
To create an icon, you need to be logged in as a Jira admin.
Select Assets in the top navigation bar.
Select Configuration.
Under the Global icons tab, select Create an icon.
In the pop-up window, drag and drop or upload the image you wish to use as an icon, then select Create.
Understanding reference types
Now that we’ve created some statuses and icons for our object schema, let’s take a look at reference types.
Reference types are customised values that describe the what kind of reference connects two objects. For example, a CPU object might be connected to a Mainboard object by the reference type Installed in, meaning the CPU is installed in the mainboard.
Or an IT asset might be connected to a Manufacturer object by the reference type Manufactured by, meaning that the IT asset was manufactured by that company.
Reference types are not functionally different from one another, but they are valuable in keeping your references organised or for discriminating between different types of references. They can also be used to separate between different reference types when using an AQL query.
Each reference type has a different color when viewed in the Schema graph.
Creating new reference types
Each object schema includes a default set of reference types:
Dependency
Financial
Link
Reference
Technical
Those are great, but not specific to IT assets management. Let’s create a custom set of references that provide better details about the relationship between our assets.
Assigned to
Located in
Manufactured by
Operates in
References can be added at an Assets configuration level, in which case they are applied to all schemas. To add references at this level, you must be logged in as a Jira admin.
References can also be added to an individual schema. To do this, you need to have Object Schema Manager permissions.
Today we will add these references to the individual schema we are working with.
To add references for all schemas:
Select Assets in the top navigation bar.
Select Configuration.
Under the Global References tab, select Create a reference.
Enter a Name, Description, and Color.
Select Create.
To add references for an individual schema:
Select Assets in the top navigation bar.
Select an object schema.
Select Schema configuration.
Under the Reference Types tab, select Create a reference.
Enter a Name, Description, and Color.
Select Create.
Good work!
You’ve now created an object schema with all the parts that you will need to manager your IT asset management (ITAM) processes, including object types, attributes, references, icons, and statuses.
Stay tuned for more guides to using Assets with IT Asset Managment (ITAM) in the future!
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