Consumables life cycle

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read

    • Consumables are assets that are not tracked individually, but as a group of the same model.

    The group of consumables has one or more of the following traits.
    • Same location
    • Same state
    • Consumed by the same asset, typically as accessories or parts

    Some common consumable assets include mouse devices, computer keyboards, and pencils. The base ServiceNow system includes the Consumable model category. The first step in working with models is to create a model within the model category for an individual consumable asset. Items such as monitors, keyboards, and mouse devices are often tracked as consumables. Consumables cannot be pre-allocated.

    Consumable assets are stored in the Consumable [alm_consumable] table. Consumables follow a slightly different life cycle from other assets.

    Stages of consumables

    The consumable lifecycle stages are as follows.
    • On order
    • In stock
    • In transit
    • Consumed
    • In maintenance
    • Retired
    • Missing

    View consumable assets

    Consumables are tracked as a group of the same model, but you can view individual consumables in the consumable model record.

    Before you begin

    Role required: model_manager

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Product Catalog > Product Model > Consumable Models.
    2. Open a consumable model record.
    3. View individual consumables in the Consumables related list.

    Create consumable assets

    Create a consumable to track an asset as a group of the same model.

    Before you begin

    Role required: asset

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Asset > Portfolios > Consumables and create a new record (see table for field descriptions).
      Table 1. Consumable record form
      Field Description
      Display name Name of the asset.
      Model category Model category that controls if an asset is linked to a CI.
      Model Product model of the asset.
      Quantity Amount of items the asset represents.
      General
      State State of the asset.
      Parent Parent asset. When a parent asset is defined, the Assignment and State fields of the child asset are automatically populated based on the Assignment and State fields of the parent asset and are read-only.
      Class Type of asset. The system automatically sets the Class to Consumable.
      Expenditure type The type of expenditure. Choose from the following options:
      • Capex: Capital expenditure is a one-time expenditure, where the value is realized over the years. For example, a photocopier.
      • Opex: Operational expenditure is an on-going expenditure. For example, toners for the photocopier.
      Substate Substate of the asset.
      Location Location of the asset.
      Cost Price that the asset was purchased for.
      Cost Center Cost center financially responsible for the asset.
      Disposal
      Disposal order number

      A unique number assigned to the asset disposal order.

      Note:
      This field appears only if you have installed Hardware Asset Management from the ServiceNow Store.
      Disposal vendor

      The vendor assigned to carry out the asset disposal order.

      Note:
      This field appears only if you have installed Hardware Asset Management from the ServiceNow Store.
      Vendor disposal order ID

      Order number assigned by the vendor assigned to carry out the asset disposal order.

      Note:
      This field appears only if you have installed Hardware Asset Management from the ServiceNow Store.
      Disposal date

      The date when the asset disposal order process is completed.

      Note:
      This field appears only if you have installed Hardware Asset Management from the ServiceNow Store.
      Disposal reason Text explaining why the asset is being retired.
      Beneficiary Organization that receives the asset when it is retired.
      Resale price Value of the asset when it is retired. For example, if the asset is donated, the value used when reporting taxes.
      Scheduled retirement Scheduled date on which the asset is retired.
      Retired date Actual date on which the asset was retired.
      Activities
      Work Notes Work notes related to the asset.
    2. Click Submit.

    Consume consumable assets

    To consume consumable assets, they must have a state of In Stock and a substate of Available.

    Before you begin

    Role required: asset

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Asset > Portfolios > Consumables.
    2. Click the Display Name of a consumable asset with a state of In Stock and a substate of Available.
    3. Click Consume.
    4. Enter the Quantity to consume.
    5. In Asset, click the lookup icon and select the asset associated with the consumable.
      For example, a mouse tracked as a consumable asset can be associated with a non-consumable asset such as a computer.
    6. In User, click the lookup icon and select a user associated with the consumable.
    7. Click OK.
      On the Consumable form, the Quantity field shows the reduced number. The Consumables list contains two records for the consumable in the specific stockroom: one with a state and substate of In Stock and Available (if you did not consume the entire quantity), and one with a state of Consumed. If a consumable is not in the process of being transferred to a different stockroom and information in the data record is the same, similar records merge automatically. After a consumable is consumed, the record remains in the system for reporting purposes.