Example workflow IT

How an IT Team Can Track Asset Tags With a Phone

Scan an employee code, then the devices handed out. For a stock count, walk the office and scan every asset tag. Your asset list shows the model as you scan, and the export goes into your spreadsheet.

This page shows how DataScan can be set up for this task. It is an illustration, not a report about a specific customer. All codes and values on it are examples.

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IT manager scanning laptop barcode for employee equipment assignment

The problem

In a small or mid-size company, the asset register is often a spreadsheet that drifts away from what is actually in the building. Laptops are swapped in a hurry, monitors move between desks, and when someone leaves, nobody is sure which devices they had.

Asset tags with barcodes are cheap, and most companies already have them on their devices. The missing piece is a quick way to read them where the devices are, in offices, meeting rooms and storage cupboards, and get the result back into the register without typing serial numbers.

The setup

Two modes cover the two common tasks: One-to-Many Scan for handing devices to people, and Continuous Scan for a count of everything on site. Your asset register, imported in Lookup Scan, adds the device details to both exports.

Scan mode One-to-Many Scan, sub-mode One-to-Many (Groups), for handovers; Continuous Scan for counts
Primary and Secondary Barcode Label Employee and Device
Primary and Secondary Column Header Employee and Device
Lookup data Asset register as a comma-separated CSV: asset tag first, then Model, Serial, Location
Enable Cross-Reference On: after each scan a pop-up shows the model from the second CSV column (in One-to-Many Scan on iPhone and iPad)
Cross-reference with Lookup Data On, so register columns are added to the export
Barcode Types The type on your asset tags, for example Code 128 or QR

Step by step

  1. Import the asset register Export your register as CSV with the asset tag in the first column and import it in Lookup Scan on each phone used.
  2. Give employees a scannable code Use a badge barcode if you have one, or print a sheet with one code per employee number.
  3. Record a handover In One-to-Many Scan, scan the employee code, then every device handed over. The export adds the model and serial for each tag; on iPhone and iPad, a pop-up also shows the model after each scan.
  4. Count devices on site For an inventory, walk room by room in Continuous Scan and scan every tag you find. Export when done.
  5. Update the register Import the exports into your spreadsheet. Handover rows show who received what and when; register entries missing from the count export are the devices to look for.

What you get out

A handover export with cross-reference switched on looks like this:

Column Example value What it holds
Employee E-0412 The employee code scanned first
Device IT-01873 Each asset tag scanned for that employee
Timestamp 2026-10-02 09:10 When the device was scanned
Secondary Model Laptop 14" Register column for the device, prefixed with Secondary
Secondary Serial SN-EXAMPLE-01 Further register columns follow in CSV order

Register columns with the prefix Primary follow right after Timestamp and stay empty for employee codes; delete them in the spreadsheet. The count export from Continuous Scan has Barcode, Timestamp and the register columns.

Fits well if…

  • Your devices carry asset tags with a barcode or QR code.
  • Your asset register is a spreadsheet, or a system that can export and import CSV.
  • You hand out and collect devices often enough that paper forms get lost.
  • You want an occasional count of everything on site without buying scanners.

Try It on One Office

Import your register, scan the tags in one room and compare the export with the list. The free trial includes every feature.

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