As an addition to the window operations provided by Asset Information Manager, you might want to modify the system environment to better suit specific jobs, such as to perform more in-depth management of device and contract status or to add management items. In this case, you can easily use window operations to add statuses and managed items.

You can also create a window for searching your assets on the basis of the added statuses or managed items as key values and then add asset management jobs that can be executed from Asset Information Manager.

For example, you can add a job that groups devices by installation period and then manages the distribution status of the devices in groups. To do this, the following preparations are needed:

• Adding the status Waiting for distribution indicating that distribution has not been made to the device.
• Adding the managed item Group to manage the devices installed in the same period as a group.
• Adding a window for searching for devices by group to which distribution has not been made since installation

You can easily do all this from the windows that are displayed by selecting the job menus under the System Management and System Definition job categories.

The figure below shows the procedure for preparing and executing the job for checking the distribution status.

Figure 2-15 Procedure for checking the distribution status of devices by group

To prepare and execute the job for checking the distribution status:

1. In the Code window, add the status.
   Add the status Waiting for distribution indicating that the device has not been distributed to a group after installation.
   The status is associated with the code and managed by the asset management database. Therefore, to add the status Waiting for distribution to devices, add the corresponding code to Status.
   For details about the operation in the Code window, see 4.8 Adding and changing types and statuses (Code) in the Administrator's Guide.
   
2. In the Customize Managed Items window, add a managed item.
   To manage the devices installed in the same period as a group, add Group to the managed items of Asset information.
   The added managed item takes effect in the entire asset management system.
   For details about the operation in the Customize Managed Items window, see 9.2 Changing managed items (Customize Managed Items) in the Planning and Setup Guide.
   
3. In the Create User Report window, add a window.
   Add a window for checking for any device that was installed in the same period, but has not been distributed. In the window, search for devices using Group as the condition and list only those devices whose status is Waiting for distribution as the result.
   You can display the added window from the menu that is added to the job menu. You can also change the window's view setting (view or hide) from the Customize Job Menu window.
   For details about the operation in the Create User Report window, see 9.5 Adding windows for routine jobs (Create User Report) in the Planning and Setup Guide; for details about the operation in the Customize Job Menu window, see 9.4 Changing the executable jobs (Customize Job Menu) in the Planning and Setup Guide.
   
4. In the New Device window, register new devices.
   Register newly installed devices. When registering the devices, specify Waiting for distribution as Status. To manage the devices installed in the same period as one group, register the same number in Group. If the device installation date is included in the number, device management by group is facilitated.
   For details about the operation in the New Device window, see 2.1.4 Registering device information (New Device) in the Administrator's Guide.
   
5. Distribute the newly installed devices to groups.
   After distributing the devices, the system administrator must use the Batch Update window to change the status of the distributed devices from Waiting for distribution to Active.
   For details about the operation in the Batch Update window, see 2.1.5 Changing device information (Batch Update) in the Administrator's Guide.
   
6. Use the added window to search for any devices that have not been distributed.
   By executing a search with Group specified as the search condition, you can display a list of devices in the specified group that have not been distributed. You can then distribute those devices on the basis of this list.