Concepts and Rationale 

Asset linking is the process of associating newly-discovered assets from various data sources with existing assets in your KODE OS environment. This process ensures that when multiple discovery sources (BMS, CMMS, IoT sensors) detect the same physical device, the device is represented only once. This prevents data fragmentation and redundancy, ensuring the asset database is accurate. 

Asset linking in KODE has three main features:

• Autosuggestion: Analyzes discovered assets and existing KODE assets, proposing matches via predefined Matching Rules (e.g., Serial Number, Model). These suggested pairs are then presented to you for review.

• Linking Confirmation: Review the suggested links and confirm the associated discovered asset with the corresponding KODE asset. The information is then merged without creating a duplicate entry.

• Manual Linking: Enables you to pair assets manually when Autosuggest is unable to do so. 

Linking Constraints 

To maintain data logic and prevent circular references, an asset cannot be linked to another asset that originates from the same external source. This ensures data integrity and prevents logical inconsistencies within your asset database.

Field Mapping

For every asset field (Name, Serial Number, Location, etc.), you define a priority list of data sources. When two assets merge, KODE OS fills each field with the highest-priority value that exists. If a field has no priorities, it is left unchanged.

Matching Rules

A Matching Rule contains up to three conditions—each compares a field using either Match (case-insensitive) or Exact Match (case-sensitive). One rule must be flagged as the default so Autosuggest always has logic to run.

Configure asset field mapping for data prioritization 

Field mapping provides granular control over how asset data is updated during the linking process. You can define which data source should be the primary source of truth for each specific field of an asset's profile.

When two assets are linked, the system refers to this configuration to determine which source's information (for example, asset name, location, or model number) populates the fields of the unified KODE OS asset.

To configure asset field mapping,

1. In Asset Discovery, select Configurations. The Configurations page appears, showing the Field Mapping and Matching Rules sections. 

2. In the Field Mapping section, click on a field to expand its accordion and view its current data source priorities. 

3. Click + Add Source.  The Add Source pop-up window appears.

4. Select the desired data source from the dropdown list.  You can select from any available source that contributes data to your KODE OS environment.

5. Click Save. The data source is added to the list for the field. 

6. You can click and drag the data sources to reorder their priority. 

The system uses data from the highest-priority source that is available between the linked assets. If a field has
no data sources assigned to its priority list, it is not updated during the linking process. 

Create and manage matching rules for asset Autosuggestion 

Matching rules are the engine behind the Autosuggest feature. By creating custom rules, you define the precise criteria the system uses to identify and suggest potential asset links.

Create a matching rule

To create a matching rule,

1. In Asset Discovery, select Configurations. 

2. Select the Matching Rules section. 

3. Click the + Add Rule button located in the top right corner. The Add Rule pop-up window appears.

4. Enter a unique Rule Name and a brief Description for the rule. 

5. A rule consists of conditions. For each condition, specify the following: 

• Field Name: The asset field to compare (for example, Serial Number). 

• Match Type: The comparison logic to use. 

• Match: Performs a case-insensitive comparison (for example, "abc" matches "ABC"). 

• Exact Match: Performs a case-sensitive comparison (for example, "abc" only matches "abc"). 

6. If another condition is needed, click the +Add Condition button and select the Rule Conditions. 

7. After defining the conditions, click Save. The matching rule is saved. 
   

Designate a default matching rule

You can designate one rule as the default matching rule. This rule is used when the Autosuggest feature does not have a specific rule selected.

To designate a default matching rule,

1. In the Matching Rules list, click the three-dot button in the row of the rule you want to designate as the default matching rule. 

2. Select Edit. The Edit Rule pop-up window appears, showing the rule settings.

3. Click the checkbox next to Set as default rule for Autosuggest.

4. Click Save. The rule is now the default matching rule used by Autosuggest for linking assets. 

Edit a matching rule

To edit a matching rule,

1. In the Matching Rules list, click the three-dot button in the row of the rule you want to edit. 

2. Select Edit. The Edit Rule pop-up window appears, showing the rule settings.

3. Make the desired changes to the rule settings.

4. Click Save. The changes are saved. (Click Cancel to discard the changes.)

Delete a matching rule

To delete a matching rule,

1. In the Matching Rules list, click the three-dot button in the row of the rule you want to delete. 

2. Select Delete. The Delete Matching Rule pop-up window appears.

3. Click Delete. (Click Cancel to cancel the deletion.) The matching rule is deleted. 

Link newly-discovered assets with existing KODE OS assets 

The process of linking newly-discovered assets with existing KODE OS assets enables you to merge information and prevent duplicate entries in your asset database. There are two methods you can use to link assets:

• Autosuggest

• Manually

Link assets using Autosuggest

To select the assets you want to link,

1. In Asset Discovery, select Discovery Logs. 

2. Click the Initiate Discovery button. After several seconds, the Results: Asset Discovery page appears, displaying a list of newly-discovered, unlinked assets. 

3. Select the assets you want to link. The Link with Existing button becomes active.

4. Click the Link with Existing button. The Link with Existing Assets page appears.
   This page is divided into two sections:

• The left side of the screen displays the new assets you selected.

• The right side displays corresponding empty fields for the KODE OS assets you can link to.

5. Click the Autosuggest button located in the top right of the page. 

6. You can select which Matching Rule you want Autosuggest to use by clicking the adjacent icon. If you do not select a matching rule, the default matching rule is used. 

7. The system populates the right side of the screen with suggested KODE OS assets based on the rules you have configured. 

8. Review the system suggestions. 

9. Once you have reviewed and confirmed the links, click Save. The assets are officially linked. The fields of the KODE OS asset are updated based on the priorities you defined in the Field Mapping configuration. (You can also cancel the links, or Reset All asset links and redo the linking.)

Link assets manually

In cases where automatic matching might not be desirable, you have the option to link discovered assets to existing KODE OS assets manually. This option provides precise control over the linking process, allowing you to establish connections that the Autosuggest feature might not identify.

To select the assets you want to link manually,

1. In Asset Discovery, select Discovery Logs. 

2. Click the Initiate Discovery button. After several seconds, the Results: Asset Discovery page appears, displaying a list of newly discovered, unlinked assets. 

3. Select the assets you want to link. The Link with Existing button becomes active.

4. Click the Link with Existing button. The Link with Existing Assets page appears.
   This page is divided into two sections:

• The left side of the screen displays the new assets you selected.

• The right side displays corresponding empty fields for the KODE OS assets you can link to.

5. For each New Asset, you can select an Existing Asset from the corresponding dropdown list. 

6. Once you have made the selections, click Save. The assets are officially linked. The fields of the KODE OS asset are updated based on the priorities you defined in the Field Mapping configuration. (You can also cancel the links, or Reset All links and redo the linking.)