Assets
Assets are abstract entities in ThingsBoard that represent physical objects, spaces, or organizational units — buildings, rooms, production areas, fields, streetlights, substations, or vehicles. Unlike devices, assets don’t generate telemetry on their own but can aggregate data from related devices and participate in rule chains, alarms, and dashboards.
Managing Assets
Section titled “Managing Assets”Create an Asset
Section titled “Create an Asset”- Navigate to Entities → Assets.
- Click + and select Add new asset.
- Enter a Name (must be unique within the tenant).
- Optionally select an Asset profile (defaults to “default”), Label, or Description.
- Click Add.
Edit an Asset
Section titled “Edit an Asset”- Click the asset in the list to open its details.
- Click the pencil icon.
- Update the name, label, profile, or description.
- Click Apply changes.
Delete an Asset
Section titled “Delete an Asset”Click the trash icon next to the asset and confirm, or open the asset details page and click Delete asset.
Asset Details
Section titled “Asset Details”Opening an asset reveals a details panel with the following tabs:
| Tab | Contents |
|---|---|
| Attributes | Client, server, and shared key-value pairs (location, category, configuration parameters) |
| Latest Telemetry | Telemetry propagated from related devices, aggregated via calculated fields, or added manually; supports manual entry and deletion |
| Calculated Fields | Values computed from telemetry or attributes using formulas |
| Alarm Rules | Conditions, thresholds, and triggers configured for alarm generation |
| Alarms | Active and historical alarms for this asset |
| Events | Lifecycle events, logs, warnings, and errors |
| Relations | Directed connections to other entities (devices, assets, dashboards, rule chains) |
| Audit Logs | History of user actions: creation, updates, deletions |
| Version Control | Git-based export and restore for backup and collaboration |
Manage Owner and Groups
Section titled Manage Owner and GroupsYou can change the owner of an asset to control which Customer (or the Tenant) has access to it.
- Click the asset to open its details.
- Click Manage owner and groups.
- In the Owner field, select the Tenant or a specific Customer.
- Add the asset to relevant asset groups or create a new group.
- Click Update.
The Include customer entities toggle on the Assets page controls whether assets owned by customers appear in the list alongside tenant-owned assets.
Asset Groups
Section titled Asset GroupsAssets can belong to one or multiple groups for organization and access control. Every asset is automatically added to the "All" group of its owner.
Create an Asset Group
Section titled Create an Asset Group- On the Assets screen, go to the Groups tab.
- Click +.
- Enter the group name.
- Optionally configure shared access for your customers.
- Click Add.
Add, Move, and Remove Assets
Section titled Add, Move, and Remove AssetsAdd assets to a group:
- Open any asset group (e.g., "All").
- Select assets using the checkboxes.
- Click the Add to group icon.
- Select an existing group or create a new one.
- Click Add.
Move assets to another group:
- Open a specific (non-"All") group.
- Select assets and click Move to group.
- Select the target group and click Move.
Remove assets from a group:
- Open a specific (non-"All") group.
- Select assets and click Remove from group.
- Confirm removal.
Make a Group Public / Private
Section titled Make a Group Public / PrivateClick the Make public icon next to an asset group to expose all its data publicly, or Make private to revoke access.
Share an Asset Group
Section titled Share an Asset Group- Click the Share icon next to the asset group.
- Select the target customer.
- Optionally specify a user group within that customer.
- Click Share.
To manage permissions after sharing, click the pencil icon on the group, navigate to the Permissions tab, and add, edit, or delete permission entries.
Managing Relations
Section titled “Managing Relations”You can create, view, edit, and delete relations between an asset and other entities from the Relations tab of the asset details page.
Add a relation:
- Open the asset details → Relations tab.
- Select the direction: From (outbound) or To (inbound).
- Click +.
- Set the Relation type (e.g., Contains, Manages) and choose the target entity.
- Click Add.
Where Assets Are Used
Section titled “Where Assets Are Used”- Dashboards — visualize aggregated data, attributes, and alarms via widgets
- Rule Engine — process attribute updates, trigger alarms, route messages
- Calculated Fields — compute derived values by aggregating data from related devices
- Relations — model hierarchies (e.g., Building → Contains → Room → Contains → Sensor)
- REST API — query, create, and manage assets programmatically