Overview
An asset's parent can be either another asset or an asset group — for example, a pump nested directly under the skid it's mounted on, or a skid nested under the process line it's part of. Technicians and anyone organizing the asset tree work with this hierarchy from the Assets page, Documents, and CSV import.
Accessing Nested Assets
From the Lubrication Management sidebar, go to Asset Management > Assets.
Use the view mode dropdown at the top of the asset list to switch between Card, Hierarchy, Tree, and Table views — nested assets display consistently across all four.
[ Screenshot — Assets page view mode dropdown showing Card, Hierarchy, Tree, and Table options ]
How to Set an Asset's Parent
The Parent field on an asset's profile accepts either an asset or an asset group.
Steps:
Open an asset's profile (or create a new asset) and go to the Parent field.
Search for and select either an asset or an asset group — both appear in the same dropdown, distinguished by a cube icon (asset) or folder icon (group).
Click Save if editing an existing asset, or Add Asset if creating a new one.
NOTE: The Parent field excludes the asset's own subtree — an asset can't be set as its own parent or nested under one of its own descendants.
[ Screenshot — Parent field on the asset profile, open with the search dropdown showing both asset and group results ]
How to Bulk-Move Assets Out of a Group
Steps:
From the Assets page, in Card, Hierarchy, or Tree view (not Table view), open the asset group that currently contains the asset(s) you want to move, so you can see them listed on its Assets tab.
Check the box next to one or more assets to select them.
Click Move in the bulk action bar that appears.
In the panel that opens, search by name or browse the tree to find the destination, then click it to select.
Click Move to confirm.
NOTE: An asset can be moved onto another asset or a group; a group can only be moved onto another group. The asset's current parent and its own descendants are excluded as destination options.
NOTE: This Move panel is only available from an asset group's Assets tab. To move a single asset that's nested directly under another asset (not a group), use the Parent field on that asset's own profile instead — see "How to Set an Asset's Parent" above.
[ Screenshot — Move panel showing the destination tree and the Move button ]
How to View an Asset's Place in the Hierarchy
Use Hierarchy view to drill down one level at a time along a breadcrumb path, or Tree view to see the nested structure expanded at once — clicking a card in Tree view both selects and expands it. In Table view, the Parent column shows the asset's placement path inline, up to two named levels, formatted as Unit ID - Description, with a leading "..." when the full hierarchy goes deeper than what's shown.
[ Screenshot — Table view Parent column showing a truncated placement path ]
How to Delete an Asset That Has Children
Steps:
Open the delete action on an asset that has one or more child assets nested under it.
Choose how to handle its children: delete them along with the asset, reassign them to the deleted asset's own parent (or to the top level if it had none), or reassign them to a specific asset or group you pick.
Confirm the deletion.
[ Screenshot — Delete confirmation dialog offering to delete or reassign child assets ]
How to Import a Nested Asset Hierarchy via CSV
The Beta Import (Assets) template includes Parent Type and Parent Asset Unit ID columns alongside the existing Asset Group columns.
Steps:
In the import file, set Parent Type to either Asset or Group for each row that has a parent.
If the parent type is Asset, enter the parent's Unit ID in Parent Asset Unit ID — this can reference either an asset already in Redlist or another row in the same import file.
Leave the Asset Group columns blank for rows that use Parent Type/Parent Asset Unit ID, since a row can't specify both an asset parent and a group parent.
Run the import. Rows are processed in the order needed so a parent row imports before its children.
NOTE: An import file with a circular chain of parent references (for example, Asset A listed as the parent of Asset B, which is listed as the parent of Asset A) is rejected.
Understanding Parent-Child Relationships
Either type of parent, one field: The Parent field always points to exactly one parent — either an asset or a group, never both — so changing an asset's parent from a group to an asset (or the reverse) is a single selection.
Circular references aren't allowed: An asset can't be set as its own parent, or as a child of one of its own descendants. Redlist blocks the change and shows an error.
No extra permission required: Setting or changing an asset's parent uses the same permission as editing the asset itself — there's no separate role or permission for reparenting.
Group-based reports and mobile stay accurate: Assets nested under another asset are still reflected in group membership behind the scenes, so group-based reports and the mobile app show accurate results regardless of how an asset is nested.
How Nested Assets Appear Across Redlist
Table view: The Parent column shows either an asset or a group, with the placement path displayed inline.
Documents: The Asset Link pane's browse/search tree includes nested assets, so a document can be linked to an asset regardless of how deep it sits in the hierarchy.
Mobile: An asset's parent (asset or group) syncs to the mobile app.
Forms: An Asset Profile Review question on a form reflects the asset's current parent.
Use Cases / Examples
Use Case 1: Modeling equipment sub-components
A reliability engineer wants "Pump A" to sit directly under "Compressor Skid 1" rather than in a shared group with unrelated equipment. From Pump A's profile, they set its Parent to Compressor Skid 1 — an asset, not a group — so the Assets page reflects the physical relationship.
Use Case 2: Reorganizing a facility visually
A facility admin selects several assets at a time from a group's Assets list and uses the Move panel to browse the tree and confirm each destination before moving them.
Use Case 3: Onboarding a new site with CSV import
A project manager importing hundreds of assets for a new facility uses the Parent Type and Parent Asset Unit ID columns to build a multi-level hierarchy — machines, sub-assemblies, and components — in a single import file, instead of reparenting assets one at a time after import.
Best Practices
Confirm the parent type before saving: The Parent field can hold either an asset or a group — check the icon (cube for asset, folder for group) to confirm the one selected is the one intended.
Use the Move panel's tree to verify placement: Before confirming a move, browse the destination tree in the Move panel to confirm the intended location.
Plan the hierarchy before a bulk CSV import: Map out parent relationships ahead of time so Parent Type and Parent Asset Unit ID values are consistent across the file — this avoids cycle errors and rework after the import runs.
Decide how to handle children before deleting a parent asset: Choose to delete children with the parent, reassign them, or move them individually, rather than defaulting to whichever option is selected first.
Troubleshooting
Issue: An asset expected in the Parent search isn't available.
Solution:
The Parent field excludes the asset's own subtree, so an asset can't appear as an option for its own descendants.
Confirm the target isn't one of the asset's own ancestors.
Issue: Reparenting an asset returns an error.
Solution:
This means the change would create a circular reference, making the asset an ancestor of itself.
Choose a parent that isn't already one of the asset's own children or descendants.
Issue: A CSV import fails on rows with parent information.
Solution:
Check that each row sets only one kind of parent — either Parent Type/Parent Asset Unit ID or the Asset Group columns, not both.
Check the file for a loop in parent references, where a chain of assets eventually points back to one of its own ancestors.
Summary
An asset's parent can be either another asset or an asset group, set one at a time from the Parent field on the asset's profile, through CSV import, or — for assets sitting inside a group — bulk-moved via the group's Move panel. The hierarchy is reflected consistently in Table view, Documents, and the mobile app, with built-in protection against circular parent references.