Categories & Types

Categories and types form the classification hierarchy for your assets. Every asset belongs to a type, and every type belongs to a category.

Categories

Categories are the top-level groupings. Common examples:

• IT Equipment
• Furniture
• Vehicles
• Tools & Equipment
• Audio Visual

Managing Categories

Navigate to the categories page from the sidebar. From here you can:

• Add a new category with a name and code
• Edit an existing category's name or code
• Delete a category (only if it has no types assigned)

Types

Types sit within categories and provide more specific classification. For example, under IT Equipment you might have:

• Laptop
• Desktop
• Monitor
• Printer
• Network Equipment

Managing Types

Navigate to the types page from the sidebar. The list shows each type with its parent category. You can:

• Add a new type — select a category, then provide a name and code
• Import types in bulk from CSV
• Edit a type's name, code, or parent category
• Delete a type (only if no assets are assigned to it)

Bulk Import

Use Import Asset Types on the types page to create categories and types from a CSV file.

• The CSV uses Category Name, Type Name, and optional Type Code
• Missing categories are created automatically
• If Type Code is blank, batapp generates the next available code
• batapp validates duplicates before importing

Planning Your Structure

A few guidelines:

• Categories should be broad — You'll typically have 5–10 categories. If you're creating more than 20, some might work better as types.
• Types should be specific — These appear in the asset form dropdown, so they should be meaningful without needing the category context.
• Codes are for exports and reports — Choose short, recognisable codes (e.g. IT for IT Equipment, FURN for Furniture).
• You can restructure later — Types can be moved between categories, so don't overthink the initial setup.