Using EZOfficeInventory, you can track items that are used repeatedly as well as items that are consumed. There are 3 types of items in EZOfficeInventory:
- Assets
- Asset Stock
- Inventory
In this post, we will help you determine which of your items go under which type.
| Assets | Asset Stock | Inventory | |
| Basic distinction | Items are used over time and are tracked individually, e.g. computers and cars. | Items such that are used overtime but are not tracked individually, e.g. cables and chairs. | Items that are in store and are then consumed, e.g. water bottles. |
| What can you do with them? | Assets are checked out to folks. They can check them back in after use. Assets can also be reserved for a time duration, tracked for maintenance and retired. Quantities are checked out to folks. They can check them back in after use. | Asset Stocks can also be reserved for a time duration and a quantity can be retired when it is no longer needed. | Quantities from Inventory stock is removed when you consume them. Quantities are added when you get new stock. |
| How are they tracked? | Assets are tracked individually e.g MacBook #1 at NYC, MacBook #2 with James at Palo Alto and so on. Each Asset would be added as an individual entry so you know exactly where each of them is. | Stock Assets are not tracked individually e.g. 20 LAN Cables or 10 nail bits where individual tracking is unnecessary; you just want to keep track of how many are available and how many are assigned/checked out. | You maintain an Inventory stock quantity e.g. 10 Water Bottles at NYC, 30 at SF or 100 gallons of a chemical in the Boston lab.” |
| Quantity | No quantity is associated to assets since each asset is tracked individually. | You maintain a stock quantity across one or different locations. | You maintain an inventory stock quantity across one or different locations. |
| Identification | Every single asset has a unique Asset #generated by EZO. You can also choose to use your own serial numbers, if you like. | Every Asset Stock record has a unique Asset Stock #. You can also have your own serial number. If there are 100 LAN Cables, all of them will have the same ID. | Every Inventory record has a unique Inventory #. You can also have your own serial number. If there are 100 Water Bottles, all of them will have the same ID. |
Compact View combines assets with the same name to give an overview of how many of the similar items are available.
Checkouts View shows the current checkouts so that you can filter and take mass actions on them.
Stock View expands the list to show stock by locations e.g. if you have 100 water bottles at NY and 200 at CA, the list will show 2 water bottle entries; one for NY and other for CA.”
Asset Stock and Inventory modules can be enabled or disabled from Settings → Add Ons
Adding similar items multiple times separately can take hours. You can use the clone feature from Item Detail page (e.g. Asset Detail page → Click ‘Clone’ button at the top). Add 1 Bluetooth GPS Receiver and clone it for 9 more to have 10 total Bluetooth GPS Receivers in Assets.
