Using pallet assets to manage your asset inventory in the Enterprise Asset Workspace

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 5 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    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 Using pallet assets to manage your asset inventory in the Enterprise Asset Workspace

    This document explains how ServiceNow customers can effectively manage their asset inventory by using pallets and the assets contained within them in the Enterprise Asset Workspace. Pallet assets can be moved, disposed of, resold, or consumed through various workflows, ensuring streamlined inventory management and accurate tracking.

    Show full answer Show less

    Managing Pallet Assets

    • Moving pallets between stockrooms: Transfer orders allow customers to move in-stock pallets and their contained assets between stockrooms. Moving individual assets within a pallet automatically updates the pallet asset record accordingly after task completion.
    • Disposing of pallets: Disposal orders enable the disposal of pallets and their contained assets with flexible options, such as disposing of both pallet and assets, selectively disposing of certain assets, or retaining the pallet while disposing assets. Only enterprise and enterprise-based consumable assets can be disposed of; hardware and hardware-based consumables are marked as invalid and excluded.
    • Reselling pallets: Resale orders allow customers to resell pallets and their assets, with options similar to disposal (reselling both pallet and assets, selectively retaining or reselling assets). Hardware assets, bundles, and non-enterprise consumables cannot be resold.

    Consuming Assets Within Pallets

    • Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) flow: Defective assets within pallets can be replaced or repaired via RMA orders. Assets included in RMA are removed from the pallet record automatically.
    • Local Order subflow: Assets sourced locally from the requester’s stockroom as part of asset requests are removed from the pallet record after fulfillment.
    • Loaner Request flow: Assets loaned temporarily from pallets are removed from the pallet record after loan preparation is completed.
    • Leased Asset Return flow: Leased assets returned before contract expiration are removed from the pallet record upon shipment completion.
    • Swap tasks in Asset Management: Swapping assets within pallets via the IT Service Management Asset Management application automatically updates the pallet asset record post-swap.

    Key Outcomes

    • Accurate tracking and management of assets contained within pallets across multiple workflows.
    • Streamlined processes for transferring, disposing, reselling, and consuming pallet assets with automatic record updates.
    • Improved inventory visibility and control by maintaining updated pallet asset records reflecting asset status changes.
    • Support for enterprise asset lifecycle events, reducing manual effort and errors in asset management.

    You can manage your asset inventory by using pallets and the assets contained within those pallets in your transfer orders, disposal orders, resale orders, and various consumption workflows.

    Moving pallets between stockrooms

    You can use transfer orders to move in-stock pallets from one stockroom to another. If you’re moving a pallet that contains assets, those assets are also moved as part of the same transfer order. If you move only the assets that are contained within a pallet, those assets are automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record after the Ready for fulfillment task is closed.

    For more information about transfer orders, see Create a transfer order in Enterprise Asset Workspace.

    Disposing of pallets

    When a pallet is nearing the end of its life cycle or is no longer functional, you can dispose of it using a disposal order. If the pallet contains any assets, you can choose to dispose of the pallet and its assets using any of the following options:
    Note:
    You can dispose of only the enterprise assets and enterprise-based consumable assets that are contained within your pallets. If a pallet contains any hardware, bundle, or hardware-based consumable assets, those assets are automatically updated with a State of Invalid and can’t be processed as part of a disposal order.
    • Dispose of both the pallet and all assets that are contained within that pallet.
    • Dispose of both the pallet and only certain assets that are contained within that pallet. Any assets that you choose to retain are automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record.
    • Dispose of the pallet but retain all assets that are contained within that pallet. If you select this option, all assets are automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record.
    • Retain the pallet but dispose of all assets that are contained within that pallet. If you select this option, all assets are automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record.
    • Retain the pallet but dispose of only certain assets that are contained within that pallet. Any assets that you dispose of are automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record.

    For more information about disposal orders, see Create a disposal order in the Enterprise Asset Workspace.

    Reselling pallets

    To help reduce waste and save costs, you can use resale orders to resell any pallets that you’re no longer using. If a pallet contains any assets, you can choose to resell the pallet and its assets using any of the following options:
    Note:
    You can’t resell any hardware assets, asset bundles, and non-enterprise consumable assets that are contained within your pallets.
    • Resell both the pallet and all assets that are contained within that pallet.
    • Resell both the pallet and only certain assets that are contained within that pallet. Any assets that you choose to retain are automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record.
    • Resell the pallet but retain all assets that are contained within that pallet. If you select this option, all assets are automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record.
    • Retain the pallet but resell all assets that are contained within that pallet. If you select this option, all assets are automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record.
    • Retain the pallet but resell only certain assets that are contained within that pallet. Any assets that you resell are automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record.

    For more information on resale orders, see Create an asset resale flow.

    Consuming assets within a pallet

    Assets that are contained within a pallet can be consumed through various asset workflows.
    Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) flow

    A Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) is an agreement between a buyer and seller that allows the buyer to return, replace, or request the repair of a defective product within the specified warranty period. When an asset within a pallet becomes defective, you can initiate its replacement or repair by using an RMA order. Any assets that you include in an RMA order are automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record.

    For more information about RMA orders, see Requesting a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) for defective enterprise assets.

    Local Order subflow

    You can source and fulfill asset requests using assets that are available in the requester's local stockroom. When an asset within a pallet is sourced and consumed locally as part of an asset request, it’s automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record after the Enterprise Confirm asset task is closed.

    For more information on sourcing assets from local stockrooms, see Source requests from Enterprise Asset workspace.

    Loaner Request flow

    If you need to use an asset for only a short period of time, you can request to loan that asset by using a loaner request. When an asset within a pallet is loaned out, it’s removed from the corresponding pallet asset record after the Prepare task for the loaner request is closed.

    For more information on loaning assets, see Request a loaner asset in Enterprise Asset Workspace.

    Leased Asset Return flow

    If a contract for a leased asset is nearing its expiration, you can return the leased asset to the asset vendor before incurring any penalty fees. When a leased asset within a pallet is returned to the asset vendor, it is automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record after the Shipment task for the asset is closed.

    For more information about returning leased assets, see Return a leased enterprise asset.

    Swap tasks from the IT Service Management Asset Management application

    The ServiceNow® Asset Management application enables you to track and manage your assets. If you use the application to swap an asset within a pallet, that asset is automatically removed from the corresponding pallet asset record after it’s swapped.

    For more information on the Asset Management application, see Base Asset Management.