Transferring Assets Between Locations
When an asset needs to move from one location, zone, employee, or department to another, AccuArk provides a dedicated Transfer Asset form that creates a formal, auditable record of the move. Unlike simply editing the location field on an asset record, the Transfer form captures the reason for the move, supports an optional approval workflow, and generates transfer history that appears in dedicated reports.
Accessing the Transfer Form
To open the Transfer Asset form:
- Navigate to Assets > Transfer Asset from AccuArk's main menu
- This opens the the Transfer screen form
You can also initiate a transfer from within an asset's detail form by clicking the Transfer button on the toolbar, which opens the Transfer screen with the asset pre-selected.
Required Permission
You must have the Transfer Assets permission assigned to your role to create asset transfers. Without this permission, the Transfer Asset menu item is hidden and the Transfer button on the asset detail form is disabled. The Super Admin role has this permission by default.
Transfer Fields
The Transfer Asset form collects the following information:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Asset | Yes | Search for and select the asset being transferred. You can search by asset number, name, serial number, or barcode. |
| From Location | Auto-filled | Automatically populated with the asset's current location. This field is read-only and shows where the asset is now. |
| To Location | Yes | Select the destination location where the asset will be moved to. The dropdown lists all active locations in your organization. |
| From Zone | Auto-filled | Automatically populated with the asset's current zone (if assigned). Read-only. |
| To Zone | No | Select the destination zone within the target location. The zone list filters to show only zones belonging to the selected To Location. |
| From Employee | Auto-filled | Automatically populated with the employee currently assigned to the asset (if any). Read-only. |
| To Employee | No | Select the employee who will be responsible for the asset at the new location. The dropdown lists employees with access to the destination location. |
| From Department | Auto-filled | Automatically populated with the asset's current department assignment (if any). Read-only. |
| To Department | No | Select the department the asset will belong to at the new location. |
| Transfer Date | Yes | The date the transfer takes effect. Defaults to today's date but can be set to a future date for planned moves. |
| Reason | Yes | A text field where you must provide the reason for the transfer. This is critical for the audit trail and helps explain why the asset was moved when reviewing transfer history later. |
How a Transfer Works
When you fill in all required fields and click Submit, the following process occurs:
Direct Transfer (No Approval Required)
If the approval workflow is not enabled, or if the asset's value is below the approval threshold:
- Asset record updated — The asset's location_id, zone_id, assigned_employee_id, and department_id fields are updated to the new values specified in the transfer form.
- Transfer record created — A new record is saved to the asset_transfers table containing all the from/to values, the transfer date, reason, and the user who initiated the transfer.
- Activity log entry — An entry is written to the asset_activity_log with activity_type set to 'transferred'. The log entry includes the from and to details for all changed fields.
- Confirmation — A success message confirms that the transfer has been completed.
The asset is immediately available at its new location and the transfer is reflected in all views and reports.
Transfer with Approval
If the 'Require Transfer Approval' setting is enabled in Asset Settings and the asset's total capitalized cost exceeds the configured approval threshold:
- Pending transfer created — The transfer record is saved to the asset_transfers table with an approval_status of 'pending'.
- Asset remains at current location — The asset's location, zone, employee, and department are NOT changed yet. The asset stays at its current location until the transfer is approved.
- Notification — Users with the Approve Assets permission see the pending transfer in their approval queue on the Asset Dashboard.
- Activity log entry — An entry is written to the asset_activity_log noting that a transfer has been requested and is pending approval.
Once an approver reviews the pending transfer:
- If approved: The asset's location fields are updated, the transfer record's approval_status changes to 'approved', and the activity log records the approval.
- If rejected: The transfer record's approval_status changes to 'rejected', the asset remains at its current location, and the activity log records the rejection with any notes provided by the approver.
Approval Status Values
Each transfer record has an approval_status field with one of the following values:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| not_required | The transfer was executed directly without requiring approval. Either the approval workflow is disabled, or the asset's value was below the threshold. |
| pending | The transfer has been submitted and is waiting for an approver to review it. The asset remains at its current location. |
| approved | An authorized user has approved the transfer. The asset has been moved to the new location. |
| rejected | An authorized user has rejected the transfer. The asset remains at its original location. |
Configuring the Approval Workflow
The transfer approval workflow is configured in Asset Settings (Assets > Settings):
- Require Transfer Approval — A toggle that enables or disables the approval workflow for transfers. When disabled, all transfers are executed immediately.
- Approval Threshold — A dollar amount. Transfers involving assets with a total capitalized cost above this threshold require approval. Transfers for assets below the threshold are executed immediately even when the workflow is enabled. For example, setting the threshold to $5,000 means transfers of a $3,000 printer happen instantly, while transfers of a $25,000 vehicle require approval.
Only users with the Asset Admin permission can modify these settings.
Transfer vs. Editing Location Directly
AccuArk provides two ways to change where an asset is located:
| Method | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Transfer Asset form | For formal, tracked moves between locations. Creates a transfer record with reason, supports approval workflow, appears in transfer reports. Use this for any move that should be documented. |
| Editing the location field | For minor corrections (for example, fixing a data entry error). The change is logged in the activity log as an edit but does not create a formal transfer record and does not go through the approval workflow. |
As a general rule, always use the Transfer Asset form for real physical moves of assets between locations. Reserve direct field editing for correcting mistakes.
Viewing Transfer History
Transfer history can be reviewed in several places:
- Asset Activity Tab — Open the asset in the Asset Details screen and navigate to the Activity tab. Transfer events appear as 'transferred' entries with full from/to details.
- Asset Transfer Report — Navigate to Assets > Reports > Asset Transfer Report for a comprehensive list of all transfers across your organization. Filter by date range, location, employee, or approval status.
- Asset Dashboard — The dashboard displays pending transfer approvals for users with Approve Assets permission.
Multi-Field Transfers
A single transfer can change multiple assignment fields simultaneously. For example, you can move an asset from Location A / Zone 1 / Employee Smith / IT Department to Location B / Zone 3 / Employee Jones / Operations Department in a single transfer. All changes are recorded together as one transfer event, making it clear that they happened as part of the same move.
You are not required to change every field. If you are only moving an asset to a new zone within the same location, you can leave the To Location set to the same value as the From Location and only change the To Zone. The transfer record will reflect that only the zone changed.
Tips and Best Practices
- Always provide a reason — The reason field is required, but beyond that, make the reason descriptive. 'Office relocation' is better than 'move', and 'Reassigned to downtown office per expansion plan — approved by J. Smith' is even better. The reason is permanently recorded and will be valuable during audits.
- Use transfers instead of editing location directly — Every time an asset physically moves, use the Transfer form. This builds a complete movement history that you can report on and audit.
- Plan transfers in advance — You can set the transfer date to a future date for planned moves. This lets you prepare the paperwork before the physical move happens.
- Review pending approvals regularly — If the approval workflow is enabled, designate someone to review pending transfers daily so assets are not stuck in limbo waiting for approval.
- Verify after transfer — After a transfer is completed, verify that the asset has physically arrived at the destination. The transfer record documents the intent to move, but a physical verification confirms the move was carried out.
- Combine with checkout for temporary assignments — If an asset is moving temporarily (for example, a laptop loaned to another office for a week), consider using the Checkout feature instead of a transfer. Transfers imply a permanent or long-term reassignment.