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Advanced Asset Index: Complete Guide

The advanced asset index in Shelf provides powerful ways to view, filter, sort, and manage your assets. This guide covers how to enable it, all the features, and best practices.

The Advanced Asset Index gives you powerful ways to filter, sort, customize columns, and act on assets in bulk. This guide covers how to enable it, every feature, and common workflows.

Enabling the Advanced Index

The Advanced Asset Index is a beta feature you enable per-workspace.

Assets index in simple mode, with the Advanced toggle in the lower-right

  1. Navigate to the Assets index and locate the Advanced (beta) button in the lower-right corner
  2. Click the button to accept the beta flag — there's no risk, you can toggle back to simple mode at any time
  3. You're done — the advanced features become available immediately

Assets index after enabling advanced mode, showing the extended toolbar

Feedback and requests: the team welcomes suggestions about batch actions, column configuration, and filters. Email hello@shelf.nu or contact your account manager.

Managing Your View

Advanced index view

Filter panel

Columns Management

  • Fixed column: "Name" is always visible
  • Toggle any available columns including custom fields
  • Use drag handles to reorder columns
  • "Select all" or "Deselect all" for quick configuration

Pro tip: Show only necessary columns for your current task to maintain a clean view.

Advanced Filtering System

Text Fields (Name, Category, Location, etc.)

  • is: Exact match (e.g., Location is "Server Room")
  • is not: Excludes exact match (e.g., Category is not "Computers")
  • contains: Partial match (e.g., Description contains "wireless")
  • matches any: Multiple exact matches
  • contains any: Multiple partial matches

Number Fields (Value)

  • is: Exact value (e.g., Value is 1200)
  • is not: Excludes value
  • greater than: Above value (e.g., Value greater than 5000)
  • less than: Below value
  • greater or equal: Minimum value
  • lower or equal: Maximum value
  • between: Value range (e.g., Value between 1000 and 5000)

Date Fields (Created At, Purchase Date, etc.)

  • is: Specific date
  • is not: Exclude date
  • before: Before date
  • after: After date
  • between: Date range
  • in dates: Multiple specific dates

Boolean Fields (Available to Book, Is Portable)

  • is: Yes/No selection

Tags

  • contains: Has specific tag
  • contains all: Has all specified tags
  • contains any: Has any of specified tags

Low stock only

The Filter panel carries a single checkbox, Low stock only (at or below reorder threshold), just above the Add filter row. It narrows the list to quantity-tracked assets whose available count has reached or fallen below their Min quantity, and it applies immediately rather than waiting for Apply filters.

It stacks with everything else, so you can combine it with a location or category filter to see what a single stockroom needs. It also counts toward the filter badge on the Filter button and clears with Clear all filters. Add Min quantity from the column picker to see each item's threshold next to its live count.

Natural and Advanced Sorting

Natural Sorting

The system uses natural sorting for logical number ordering:

Traditional Sorting:

  • Scanner 1
  • Scanner 10
  • Scanner 11
  • Scanner 2
  • Scanner 3

Natural Sorting (Shelf):

  • Scanner 1
  • Scanner 2
  • Scanner 3
  • Scanner 10
  • Scanner 11

Benefits:

  • Numbers sort logically within names
  • Equipment series appear in proper order
  • Serial numbers sort correctly
  • Case-insensitive ordering

Multi-Field (Stacked) Sorting

You can build complex sort orders:

  1. Primary sort sets main grouping
  2. Secondary sort organizes within groups
  3. Additional sorts provide final ordering

Example: Sort by Category, then Value, then Name:

Code
Computers
  - Laptop ($2,000) - "Dell XPS"
  - Laptop ($1,500) - "HP Elite"
  - Desktop ($1,200) - "iMac"

Networking
  - Switch ($5,500) - "Cisco"
  - Router ($350) - "Netgear"
  - Access Point ($180) - "Ubiquiti"

Batch Actions

Custody Management

  • Release custody from multiple assets
  • Assign new custodian to selection
  • Perfect for employee offboarding/onboarding

Tag Operations

  • Add tags to multiple assets
  • Remove tags from selection
  • Great for categorization updates

Location and Category Updates

  • Move multiple assets to new location
  • Update category for selected assets
  • Useful for department reorganization

Availability Control

  • Mark multiple assets as available/unavailable
  • Helpful for maintenance periods

Export Capabilities

Select the assets you want (or Select all X entries to take the whole filtered set), click Export selection, and choose how the file is built:

  • Format: Standard for a readable spreadsheet, or Import-ready for a file that uploads straight back into another workspace via Assets → Import
  • Columns: only the columns currently visible in your index, or all of them

A Standard export is perfect for:

  • Inventory reports
  • Audit preparation
  • Budget planning
  • Maintenance schedules

Full reference: Exporting Data from Shelf.

Practical Examples

Equipment Relocation

  1. Filter: Location is "Floor 2"
  2. Select all filtered assets
  3. Batch action: Update location to "Floor 3"
  4. Export selection for move documentation

Maintenance Planning

  1. Filter: Last maintenance before 2023-12-31
  2. Sort by: Category, Location
  3. Add tag "maintenance-due-2024"
  4. Export for service scheduling

Value Assessment

  1. Filter: Value greater than 5000
  2. Sort by: Category, Value (descending)
  3. Export selection for insurance update

Department Transfer

  1. Filter: Custody is "Marketing Team"
  2. Sort by: Category, Name
  3. Batch update: New location and custody
  4. Export for handover documentation

Best Practices

Efficient Filtering

  1. Start with broad filters
  2. Add specific filters to narrow results
  3. Use date ranges for time-sensitive queries
  4. Combine filters for precise results

Column Management

  1. Show only necessary columns
  2. Order by importance left to right
  3. Add all needed columns before exporting

Sorting Strategy

  1. Choose primary sort for main grouping
  2. Add supporting sorts for subgroups
  3. Use Name as final sort for easy scanning

Batch Operations

  1. Filter precisely before selecting
  2. Verify selection before applying actions
  3. Export before and after major changes
  4. Use consistent tag naming for tracking

Tips and Tricks

  1. Use contains for flexible text matching
  2. Combine date and value filters for precise queries
  3. Export filtered views for reporting
  4. Use tags for temporary grouping
  5. Regular column setup saves time
  6. Stack sorts for logical grouping
  7. Use natural sorting for numbered items
  8. Export before batch updates for backup

Troubleshooting

No Results?

  • Check filter spelling
  • Try broader criteria
  • Verify date formats (YYYY-MM-DD)
  • Remove some filters temporarily

Too Many Results?

  • Add more specific filters
  • Combine multiple filter types
  • Use exact matches instead of contains
  • Add date ranges to narrow scope

Performance Issues?

  • Reduce visible columns
  • Remove unused filters
  • Clear filters after use
  • Export large datasets instead of viewing

Export Issues?

  • Verify column selection
  • Check filter combinations
  • Ensure reasonable dataset size
  • Confirm file permissions

Need more help? Contact support at hello@shelf.nu.

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