--- sourceDocument: Australia Asset Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-asset-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Asset Management ft:clusterId : - itam bundleId : - itam workflow : - Technology --- # Asset groups # Asset groups in Enterprise Asset Management {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Asset groups in Enterprise Asset Management Asset groups in the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) application offer a structured way to organize assets based on their functional relationships and physical placement. This organization supports improved data integrity, maintenance planning, life-cycle tracking, reporting, and access control. Show full answer Show less Assets in EAM are organized using three hierarchical types: * **Location hierarchy:** Defines the physical locations of assets, enabling location-based filtering and reporting. * **Asset groups:** Logical groupings of related assets and subgroups representing functional systems, processes, or departments. * **Asset structure:** Defines parent-child relationships between assets to assist with work completion, spare parts planning, and life-cycle tracking. ## Key Features * An asset group can contain multiple subgroups, but a subgroup belongs to only one asset group. * Assets can belong to multiple asset groups. * Subgroups inherit certain fields from their parent asset groups. * Asset groups can be associated with **sites** (top-level entities in ISA-95 hierarchical models), allowing configuration items (CIs) linked to that site to associate with the asset group. Only assets from the associated site and its specific locations can be added. * Asset groups and subgroups may optionally reference a **service instance** to pull related assets from a node in the configuration item hierarchy, with the constraint that subgroups can only reference a service instance if their parent group does. * Asset groups require the **snisamodel** plugin, which is installed automatically with the Enterprise Asset Management application. ## Practical Considerations * An asset group cannot contain itself as a subgroup. * Asset groups cannot have models or model categories assigned, as these are handled separately. * Asset groups cannot be deleted if they contain subgroups or assets; removal of these requires specific administrative roles (sneam.enterpriseassetmanager or sneam.enterpriseadmin). * Only hardware and enterprise assets without parents can be added to asset groups. * Consumable assets, linear assets, linear segments, and pallet assets cannot be added. * Assets must be located in the same or descendant location of the asset group and must be in "In use" or "In maintenance" states. * Asset groups are not supported in certain EAM flows, including asset resale, transfer order line management, repair order line management, disposal order management, shipment asset creation, contract management, and move order management, or any flow requiring an asset model. ## Benefits for ServiceNow Customers Using asset groups allows ServiceNow customers to logically organize their enterprise assets aligned with functional and physical structures. This organization enhances maintenance efficiency, reporting accuracy, and access control. The hierarchical approach combined with site and service instance associations streamlines asset management workflows while maintaining data integrity. Understanding the restrictions and plugin dependencies ensures smooth configuration and management of asset groups within the Enterprise Asset Management application. Asset groups in the Enterprise Asset Management application provide a systematic approach to organizing assets based on their functional relationships and their physical placement within an organization. They can help improve data integrity and support maintenance planning, life-cycle tracking, reporting, and access control. ## Organization of assets in Enterprise Asset Management {#asset-groups-eam__section_ost_drb_2fc} In the Enterprise Asset Management application, assets are organized through the following hierarchy types: * Location hierarchy: Hierarchy that defines the physical locations of your assets, organized based on the real-world location structure of those assets. This hierarchy enables location-based filtering, maintenance routing, and reporting. * Asset groups: Logical groupings of related assets and subgroups. Each asset group represents a functional system, process, or department within your organization. * Asset structure: Hierarchy that defines the parent-child relationships between assets. This hierarchy can help you complete work on your assets, plan spare parts, and track your asset life cycles. {#asset-groups-eam__ul_vdz_bk1_3jc} ## Overview of asset groups {#asset-groups-eam__section_znm_2n1_3jc} An asset group is a logical grouping of assets. Each asset group can have multiple subgroups; however, a subgroup can belong to only one asset group. An asset can belong to multiple groups. For details on creating asset groups and subgroups, see [Create an asset group in Enterprise Asset Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/uFZd_REAZJ2O15c8EHugog "Create asset groups to create a logical group of entities that includes assets, locations, and users.") and [Create an asset subgroup in Enterprise Asset Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kCCy9VVAnKIg2fst94p9Bg "Create a subgroup to add child asset groups to an asset group."). For details on adding assets to asset groups, see [Add assets to an asset group or subgroup](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Ixqtd9CxNEy6_Y0SEilc9w "Add existing assets to an asset group or a subgroup."). Note: A subgroup inherits some fields from its parent group. For details on the fields that get inherited, see [Fields inherited from a parent asset group to a sub group](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/tLLFTCDsrXCun1jh82PzjQ "A list of all the fields that are inherited from the parent asset group to a subgroup."). ## Sites in asset groups {#asset-groups-eam__section_q2s_ndd_4fc} A site is an ISA-95 hierarchical entity model. Sites are organized in a hierarchical structure, with site being the top-level entity, followed by area, work center, and work unit. You can associate an asset group to a site. This association enables all CIs that are associated with that specific site to also associate with the asset group. Note: Only assets from the associated site and its specific location can be added to the asset group. For details on creating sites, see [Create a site in the Enterprise Asset Management application](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ERoxXrXaOG0mgFIihKVcGg "Create a site for asset groups in the Enterprise Asset Management application."). ## Service instances and asset groups {#asset-groups-eam__section_nqq_bp1_3jc} An asset group or subgroup can optionally reference a service instance to pull all related assets from a chosen node in the given CI hierarchy. A subgroup can reference a service instance only if its parent group references one. ## Considerations for asset groups {#asset-groups-eam__section_xx3_cmx_jfc} Keep the following considerations in mind for asset groups: * An asset group can't contain itself as a subgroup. * An asset group can't have a model or model category, as it's a separate entity. * An asset group can't be deleted if it contains subgroups or assets. To delete an asset group, the sn_eam.enterprise_asset_manager or the sn_eam.enterprise_admin role must first remove any subgroups and assets from the asset group. {#asset-groups-eam__ul_tvq_dmx_jfc} ## Considerations for adding assets to asset groups {#asset-groups-eam__section_qrn_kdq_jfc} Keep the following considerations in mind while adding assets to asset groups: * You can add only assets without a parent. * You can add only hardware and enterprise assets. You can't add any consumable assets, linear assets, linear segments, or pallet assets. * Assets must be in the same location as the asset group or in a descendent location. * Asset must be in the In use or In maintenance state. {#asset-groups-eam__ul_uyt_pjq_jfc} ## Considerations for asset groups in Enterprise Asset Management flows and capabilities {#asset-groups-eam__section_l1p_dqc_qfc} Asset groups are unavailable in the following Enterprise Asset Management flows and capabilities: * Asset resale flow * Transfer order line management * Repair order line management * Disposal order management * Shipment asset creation * Contract management * Move order management * Any flow where the asset requires a model {#asset-groups-eam__ul_mdq_xpk_vfc} ## Plugin dependencies for asset groups {#asset-groups-eam__section_jks_msb_2fc} Asset groups require the sn_isa_model plugin, which is automatically installed with the Enterprise Asset Management application.