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Organise assets with categories and custom fields

Create a small, consistent category and location structure first, then add only the custom fields your team will actually search, update or report on.

Lachlan McRitchie

Lachlan McRitchie

GM of Operations

Published 9 August 2026

Product checked 9 August 2026 against the current MapTrack interface and feature documentation.

Before you start

Applies to
Web app
Access
Owner or Admin with configuration access
Connection
Internet connection required for setup changes
Time
20 to 30 minutes for an initial structure

You'll need

  • A list of the asset groups and sites your team already uses
  • Agreement on the few fields that must be complete for every asset

Steps

  1. Start with the questions the register must answer

    Write down the day-to-day questions people will ask, such as where an item is, who has it, what type it is and which inspection or service details matter. Use these questions to decide what belongs in a category, location or custom field.

  2. Build a short category tree

    In Settings, create broad parent categories and add child categories only where the distinction changes how the team works. For example, Plant may contain Excavators and Loaders, while Tools may contain Electrical and Hand tools.

    Good to know: Avoid creating a separate category for every make, model, project or condition. Those details are usually better as fields, locations or status values.

  3. Create the location structure

    Add the stable places your team needs to report against, such as depots, projects, sites and storage areas. Use parent and child locations when people genuinely navigate the business that way.

  4. Add only useful custom fields

    Create fields for information that is not already covered by MapTrack and that someone will maintain. Pick the field type that matches the value, and use option lists when the answer should be consistent.

    • Use text for identifiers that can contain letters and numbers.
    • Use dates for expiry, purchase or commissioning dates.
    • Use a fixed option list when inconsistent spelling would damage filtering or reporting.
  5. Test the structure on a small sample

    Add two or three real asset types before importing the whole register. Check that a field user can recognise the categories and that an administrator can filter the list without guessing what a field means.

  6. Import or add the remaining assets

    Once the structure works, add assets manually or use the spreadsheet importer. Keep the category and location names in the file consistent with the records you created.

What you should see

Every asset can be placed in a recognisable category and location, with a small set of consistent fields that support search, filtering and reporting.

Current limits

  • A category tree is shared account data. Renaming or restructuring it can affect how other people find records.
  • Custom fields need an owner. A field that nobody maintains will make the register look complete while giving unreliable answers.
  • Workspace provisioning templates are an internal MapTrack setup tool and are not a self-service account feature.

Troubleshooting

What you seeThe same kind of asset appears under several categoriesLikely causeThe category names overlap or the team has no agreed rule.What to doChoose one category for that asset type, rename ambiguous categories and update the affected assets in a controlled batch.
What you seePeople leave important fields emptyLikely causeThe field is hard to find, unclear or not part of their workflow.What to doShorten the field list, rename the field in plain language and decide who is responsible for completing it.
What you seeFilters are full of slightly different valuesLikely causeA free-text field was used where a controlled option list was needed.What to doReplace the open-ended value with an option field and standardise the existing records.

Common questions

Usually not. Categories work best for stable operational groups. Make and model are normally better stored as fields.

Start with the smallest set needed for a real workflow. Add another field only when someone will use and maintain it.

Still stuck?

Tell us the step you reached, what you expected and the exact message on screen. Remove customer, asset and personal details before sharing a screenshot.