Almyta Control System's Assets module lets you maintain tangible assets such as computers and intangible assets such as licenses and calculate their depreciation.

 

The Assets module contains the following three parts:

 

·         Detailed Assets allows you to add, maintain, and cancel tangible assets such as manufacturing equipment, office furniture, computers, printers, etc. Among other information, you can track information on warranty, cost, location, and parent assets.

·         Licenses in Assets lets you associate a license with an asset.

·         Detailed Licenses helps you keep track of intangible assets like software licenses or contracts. Among other things, you can track expiration dates, purchase and replacement costs, and serial numbers.

 

The Assets module works similarly to other Almyta Control System systems.  There are checks to ensure proper data entry. From the “Assets” screen, you can perform the following functions:

 

·         Add an Asset

·         Modify an Existing Asset

·         Deactivate an Existing Asset

·         Add a License

·         Modify an Existing License

·         Deactivate an Existing License

·         Associate an Asset with a License

·         Disassociate a License with an Asset

·         Browse Your Assets

·         Change an Asset Tag

 

Before you can use the Assets, you must set up an “Asset Types” list.

 

1.      Select “Assets” from the main menu and “Asset Type” from the dropdown menu that appears.

2.      Click “Add New” and enter a description of the asset type—for example, “Software” or “License.”

3.      Check the “Use” button if you would like this asset type to appear in dropdown boxes throughout the system (this will allow you to label assets with this type).

4.      Check the “List Top” if you would like this asset type to appear as the first choice in dropdown boxes in the system.

5.      Leave the “Tangible” box blank for intangible asset types and check it for tangible types.

6.      Select a depreciation formula from the dropdown box under “Depreciation 1” and enter a life span (in years) under “Life 1.”  If you would like, you can repeat this step for “Depreciation 2” and “Life 2.”  See Section 13.7 if you would like to add a formula to this dropdown box.

7.      Return to step 2 to add another asset type or exit the screen.

13.1  The Asset System Screen

 

 

 

 

13.2  Adding a New Asset

1.      Select “Assets” from the main menu, then select “Detailed Assets” from the dropdown menu.

2.      Click the “Create New” button.

3.      Almyta Control System will automatically create an entry with a new asset tag; you can change the format of your asset tags by clicking “System” on the main menu, then “Administrative Tools,” “Options,” and “Assets.”  See Chapter 4—Administrative Tools for more information on assets default settings.

4.      Fill in the applicable fields on the “Asset Header” screen (see figure 13.1 and table above for an explanation of the various fields and tabs).  When choosing an asset type, be sure to specify whether the asset is tangible or intangible.

5.      If you are creating an intangible or licensable asset, use the “License Information” tab to record maximum number of users and machines to which the license applies and whether or not the license is site or enterprise specific.

6.      If you are creating a tangible asset:

§         Use the “Dates/Warranty” tab to store information about the dates within the life cycle of the asset and information about the warranty of the asset if it has one.

§         Use the “Costs/Depreciation” tab to store information about the original and replacement costs of the asset.

§         Use the “Specifications” tab to store information about the asset’s physical requirements—for example, voltage, wattage, etc.

§         Use the “Readings” tab to record information concerning count and rollover.

§         Use the “Comments” tab to store any additional information—for example, the asset’s repair history.

7.      If you would like to store a picture of the asset in your database, click the “Picture” tab and follow the instructions on the screen.

8.        When you are finished, either begin again at step 2 to continue adding assets or exit the “Detailed Assets” screen.  Almyta Control System will automatically save your work.

13.3  Modifying an Existing Asset

1.      From the main menu select “Assets” and then “Detailed Assets.”

2.      There are two ways to access an existing asset:

§         Click the down arrow to the right of the “Asset ID” field.  Select the appropriate asset ID from the list.

§         You can narrow your search by selecting assets from within a certain type category. Choose the filter of the asset for which you are searching.  Then select a value for the filter by using the “Value” field. Then, click on the arrow to the right of the “Asset ID” field.  Only assets that fit into the category you selected will display.

3.      Make the desired modifications and then exit.

4.      Almyta Control System will save your changes automatically.

13.4  Deactivating an Existing Asset

1.      From the main menu select “Assets” and then “Detailed Assets.”

2.      Find the record of the asset that you wish to deactivate, using the filers if necessary.

3.      Click on the red “X” located to the right of the “Asset ID” field.  A pop up box displays asking you to confirm your choice.  Click “Yes.”

4.      The asset has been deactivated.

 

Once assets have been deactivated, it is not possible to reactivate them.  However, you can view a list of deactivated assets by choosing “Fast Browse” under “Assets” and then selecting “Retired” at the bottom of the screen.

13.5  Licenses in Almyta Control System

Almyta Control System treats licenses as attributes of certain intangible assets—for example, of computer software. To make an asset licensable, simply follow the instructions in “Add an Asset” (above) and make sure to select an intangible asset type in the “Asset Type” field in the “Asset Header” tab of the “Asset” screen.

 

To check if an asset type is intangible, click on the Yellow Pencil button to the left of the “Asset Type” field.  This will take you to the “Asset Types” screen (you can also access this from the main menu by going to “Assets/Asset Types”).  Once at the “Asset Types” screen, you can look at the “Tangible” check box to the right of the highlighted asset.  A check means that the asset is tangible; otherwise, it is intangible.

13.6  Associating Assets with Licenses

Assets and licenses may be associated with each other and Almyta Control System provides an easy way to define their relationships.  Follow these steps to assign a license to an asset:

 

1.      From the main menu select “Assets” and then “Intangible Assets Usage.”

2.      There are three parts to the “Assets Usage” screen:

§         “Tangible Asset” list contains a listing of all existing assets in asset ID number order.

§         “Intangible Asset” list contains a listing of all existing licenses in License ID order.

§         “Intangible Assets Used in Asset Selected Above” contains a listing of the license IDs currently associated with the highlighted asset.

3.      To associate a license with an asset:

§         Highlight an asset under the “Tangible Assets” heading.  Then highlight a license under the “Intangible Assets” heading.  Click the single left arrow button.

OR,

§         Highlight the asset with which you wish to associate the license.  Click the double left arrow button to associate all the licenses in the “Intangible Asset” list with the highlighted asset.

4.      To disassociate a license from an asset:

§         Highlight an asset under the “Tangible Assets” heading.  Under the “Intangible Assets Used” list, highlight the license that you would like to disassociate from the asset.  Click the single right arrow button.

OR,

§         Highlight an asset under the “Tangible Assets” heading.  Click the double right arrow button to disassociate all the licenses currently associated with the highlighted asset.

5.      Press “Exit” to return to the main menu.

13.7  Asset Depreciation Formulas

The following formulas are already saved in Almyta Control System.  To add a formula, select “Asset Depreciation” under “Assets” on the main menu.  Then click “Add New.”

 

Straight Line

[C – (C – r)]

        Ut

Units of Production

[C – (C – r)]

       Cnt

Double Declining

[C – r] [(1.0 – 0.2)^(t/12.0)] + r

Sum of the Years’ Digits

[(C – r) (1 – t) (2U – t + 1)]

      [(U + 1.0) (U + r)]

Double-Declining (200%) Method

(C – r) * [1.0 – 1.5(12.0)]^(t/12.0) + r

                             U

150% Declining Method

(C – r) [1.0 – 1.5(12.0)]^{(t – 1)} + r

                         U

MACRS—Combined 150%

If  U [1.0 – 1.5 (12.0)]^{(t – 1)} [1.5] [12.0] > 1,

                   U                       U

 

(C – r) [1.0 – 1.5 (12.0)]^(t/12.0) + r,    C – (C – r)

                       U                                    Ut

 

MACRS—Combined 200%

 

If U[1.0 – 2.0 (12.0)]^{(t – 1)} [2.0] [12.0] > 1,

                 U                       U

 

[C – r] [1.0 – 2.0 (12.0)]^(t/12.0) + r,  C – (C – R)

                      U                                     Ut

 

where:

 

C= asset cost t= elapsed time        n= unit count

U= useful life  p=capacity              r= residual value

 

*It is possible to select two formulas to serve as defaults—they will automatically be applied unless you specify otherwise.  To select your defaults, click “System” on the main menu, then “Administrative Tools,” “Options,” and “Assets.”  Also on this tab, you can opt to hide the lookup list of asset ID numbers.  This will require you to enter the asset tag manually, but is useful if you have a very large database.

13.8  Fast Browse Your Assets

Use this function to display a list of your assets.  You can use this function in the following ways:

 

·         Display a list of all assets.

·         Sort assets according to various characteristics.

·         Display a list of all discontinued assets.

·         Display a list of all active assets.

·         Update an asset.

·         Print an Assets Summary Report.

 

Clicking “Fast Browse” under “Assets” on the main menu accesses the “Fast Browse” function. Please see Section 2.9 for more information on sorting and editing using the “Fast Browse” function.

13.9  Changing an Asset Tag

1.      From the main menu bar select “Assets,” then click on “Fast Browse.”

2.      Click in the line of the asset tag you wish to change.

3.      Click the “Change Tag” button at the bottom of the screen.  A box displays to type the in the new asset tag.

4.      Type the new asset tag and click “OK.”

5.      The new tag number now appears on the “Assets Fast Browse” screen.

13.10         Reports

The following reports are available from within the Assets module:

 

·         Catalog Page—provides a list of all the information stored about one particular asset; can be accessed from the “Option” box on the “Detailed Asset” screen.

·         Asset Summary List—provides a list of all the assets stored in the database; can be accessed from the “Option” box on the “Detailed Asset” screen or by clicking “Report” on the “Fast Browse” screen.

·         Asset Detailed List—provides the same list of assets as the “Asset Summary” list but gives much more information about each asset; can be accessed from the “Option” box on the “Detailed Asset” screen.

·         Intangible Asset Usage Report—provides a list of intangible assets and shows what, if any, tangible asset each is associated with; can be accessed by clicking “Report” the “Intangible Asset Usage” screen.

 

All the reports listed above are also available under “Assets” under “Reports” on the main menu along with the Asset Depreciation Summary and the Depreciation Detail Report.  Please see Chapter 14—Reports for more information on the reports available through Almyta Control System.