With the launch of Inventory Asset Management, we hosted a webinar and a series of customer training sessions. These sessions surfaced great questions from users — this document captures them in one place so you can quickly find answers to questions you may have as well.
Q: Are pictures possible?
A: Yes, as of D-Tools Cloud Release 100, you can attach images as evidence when setting an asset's condition, from the dropdown on the asset detail page.
Q: Can you scan items from your phone instead of a usb scanner? I may have missed that portion.
A: Yes, but NOT WITH THE NATIVE IOS /ANDROID Installed app (yet). Only using the webpage on your phone/table using the onboard camera.
Q: Can field users add an (Ex) apple tv if asked by the client while on installation site from the install van easily?
A: Not today. Field user access is not completed; it is on our roadmap.
Q: Do the standard barcode and the QR code on the label contain the same information?
A: No, they have different information. The barcode data encoded and barcode type output is customizable take a look at the options for the different fields in settings > inventory > qr labels.
Q: Regarding the Pick list previously referred to, can I use this to instruction which items to "pull" from the warehouse when it's time to send items to site?
A: Yes.
Q: At the time of Receipt, can I inventory items into multiple warehouse locations (zones) (Aisle, Section, shelf)?
A: Yes
Q: Can the Asset ID re repeated or do they need to be one time uses
A: They must be unique (no collision) for each product.
Q: Can I turn that feature off for certain products?
A: With D-Tools Cloud Release 100 Hybrid Inventory is now you. You now have the ability to choose if each product is Pooled or Unitized.
Q: Once Opp becomes a project, we are able to allocate it to specific item on the project, in a specific room. However, currently I don't see anywhere to see what serials are in which rooms on a live project, after that initial assignment.
A: You first un-allocate the units from the project, essentially unlocking them from the original project, and once those assets are “free” you can then allocate them to the new second project.
Q: If we start using the new asset management feature now, will we have to put a D-Tools QR label on each consumable item that doesn't have its own bar code to be able to track them properly?
A: Yes. For tracking your durable goods, you either put the Manufacturer’s number, serial number, in the system… Or you put the systems number on the product, that’s the barcode label. Consumables will be handled better come Jul/Aug ’26 with the hybrid mode where you can mark specific products as “pooled” inventory types and not units…so just tracking the counts and not serials for those products specifically.
Q: Does the CSV always contain the same columns in the same order on the excel spreadsheet. I ask because then I can create macros to get the info I need?
A: Yeah but no promise it won’t change. Key your custom solution using the Column Header name and not the column number for more headroom/future proofing.
Q: Is the QR code / barcode editable? also is there a recommended printer for the labels you guys have tested this with
A: Yes, you can configure it to some degree, which barcode type it outputs and what data it includes. No specific printer but we currently support numerous media types for label printers specifically for Dymo, Brother, and Avery label printers. Cloud does not yet support printing multiple labels PER PAGE (like an avery 8.5x11 sheet with 30 cells).
Q: What's the process to pick from stock on a project so our warehouse staff can keep track as he is staging items?
A: Scan Serial# / QR and choose to move it to a staging area in the warehouse. Do staging and programing of those items in the special “area” for this project.
Q: Sorry, one last question. I have some products in our system that have inventory tracked and some products that are in our system that are not tracked. Can I switch a product from being tracked to not being tracked as inventory?
A: Yes. Click 3 dot menu from inventory item on inventory page.
Q: Can you have nested locations IE: we receive the product to a job tote then it is assigned to a rack location?
A: Yes.
Q: Are the serial numbers from a barcode produced in D-Tools, or the serial number on the manufactured box?
A: Manufacturer serial or manufacture value that uniquely identifies this specific unit from another unit of the identical product…usually a serial #.
Q: Can we check items into a staging location so their items statuses within the project are updated to both Received and Staged?
A: The Item Scheduling status will not automatically change to staged, no but the status should set to received when you receive it on the po if associated.
Q: If the product has a serial number on the box is there a need for the qr code?
A: Nope, you can use one or the other, or both.
Q: Can the inventory items be automatically allocated to a project upon receipt or is that always a manual process?
A: Always manual.
Q: From the techs van how does a technician get it installed and by see who did it?
A: Back offices allocates units to project. Tech is assigned a task for install with the product associated. Tech marks task as complete and inventory is checked out of warehouse.
Q: What brand of scanner should you use?
A: Any USB HID Compliant scanner will work.
Q: Can you walk us through the fastest way to switch to the new inventory asset mode then get all the serial numbers in there using a scanner if we don’t have a spreadsheet.
A: Upgrade to new inventory asset management mode. On the inventory page at the top, you should see a banner that’s nudging you to capture serial # and or print qr labels. Click the non-printer icon and that will open the bulk editor for all products that need serial #s. Then put cursor in the first assets serial # field and begin scanning the serial #s with usb scanner. OR on inventory page bulk select ALL product > click the “action on N selected” > bulk update asset information > then do the scanning or input of serial numbers to capture.
Q: Do you have a robust inventory report showing everything in your warehouse that can be exported to Excel?
A: Yes — you can export and report on virtually everything, easily, every time. Every piece of data is included, right down to individual asset details, with the exception of the per-unit audit history.
Q: What about a per project report that shows IP, MAC, etc. for record keeping?
A: The export shows this information and can be filtered by project.
Q: Have you created Count reports yet??? Last count date?
A: No, there is zero warehouse counting or reconciliation today, it is on our roadmap.
Q: Follow up to my previous question pertaining to allocating items to a project upon receipt - The real question is about label printing. It appears that the label prints with a blank under "Project Name" until that product is allocated. Our warehouse stores and labels product by project. Not having that information available on the label by default would make it a two-step process to receive and store the items as we do now. Is there a way to print the name of the project that the product was originally purchased for?
A: Yes, you can set this up in settings for the QR code to include this information, but it is important to note that the asset must be allocated to a project in order for that information to show up on the label when printed.
Q: We will eventually be able to see which tech installed it?
A: They will be able to see it today if a user has access to mark the asset on the project/service call as installed it would show in the activity log. Any change to any asset, at any time, should show in the activity log audit info.
Q: Can you show us what a generated packing slip would look like? Is there a way to print a packing list from the allocated inventory?
A: This is now available as a Pick List report. You'll find it under the existing Download submenu on the Project Item Status page (Ordering and Scheduling tabs) — it automatically uses whatever filters and selections you already have on the page.
Items are grouped by location in walking order, with Asset IDs and Serial #s shown for unitized assets (in IAM mode). The report also includes summary tiles, an estimated load time, and Picked by / Verified by signature lines. You can learn more here.
Q: If we install one tv in each room in a university with 10 campuses, and 20 rooms in each campus, do we have to specify each room as its own location for the unit tracking?
A: Yes
Q: Can we print location/shelf labels?
A: Not at this time, is on our roadmap for our August release.
Q: Can you use the scanning/ qr function to check out, and mark items installed and if so, can you use the bulk functions?
A: Not yet.
Q: When Asset Tracking is enabled, how do we set Asset Pool for bulk items? Can you give an example of how to inventory several spools of bulk wire, sold by the foot, and used on projects in increments of ~200'. Need to update quantity(length) remaining after each job.
A: Inventory Asset Management does NOT Change Unit of Measure functionality at all in cloud. It’s going to work the exact same way. Our Catalog team is working on updating UOM now, the first step to a real resolution.
Q: If you change information for an asset after already printing a label with the QR code - will the QR code, bring up the most recent information in D-Tools or would a label need to be printed after any edits are made to that asset?
A: Yes, best practice would be to reprint and over label on top of the old stale label so the data on the box is always in sync and fresh with the system.
Q: if you ordered it from that project, wouldn't it make sense when receiving for it to autofill for that project?
A: No. We will not automatically reserve but we are actively working to improve to make it easier to manipulate assets while working on a project as well as improving the receipt against PO for a project.
Q: For equipment that is allocated to a project - will the serial numbers (and other information you’re logging when checking in) be available on the item status page of that project?
A: Yes, you can view the unit information in the manage inventory UI where you reserve/allocate.
Q: What’s the purpose of the D-Tools’ own tracking#?
A: To track items that may not have serial/manufacture IDs, or you can’t yet capture them or do not wish to capture them, the Asset ID stands in for and acts as the unique identifier (or can work alongside the serial#).
Q: Do we have to wait for a project's PO to be fully received before anyone takes it from the shelf?
A: No.
Q: Will IAM have the ability to reserve/allocate to service tickets?
A: Yes, it’s live today.
Q: So, we need to setup a Site for each client and each client location? specifically for the Inventory control. And each client location, meaning living room, terrace, etc? will that "site" for the client be tracked and automatically be created when we put installed label on it?
A: No, I believe this is a misunderstanding. You can add “Site” locations to D-Tools Cloud that let you track in the system that the gear is at the “Site” instead of the warehouse. All of the unique locations are set up on the project itself. And is part of the project management.