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How to Bulk Update Asset Hierarchy Items in inspectX

Updated by AssetIntel

In this article

The Bulk Update Hierarchy task lets you update or insert many-to-one hierarchy records at once via a formatted Excel spreadsheet and an admin automation task.

When to use this

  • Updating existing hierarchy records — e.g. changing attribute values on records that already have an AssetHierarchyItemId

  • Inserting new hierarchy records — e.g. adding new locality entries as children of existing assets

Step 1 — Export your starting data

Updating existing records

  1. Go to Inventory List in inspectX.

  2. Use the dropdown to switch from Asset to the hierarchy you want to update (e.g. 'Span Sets' or 'Features(Highway)').

  3. Apply any filters to narrow the record set.

  4. Export the list as an Excel file.

Inserting new records

If you are adding new records (no AssetHierarchyItemId yet), export from the Asset hierarchy instead to obtain the Structure Number and Asset Id — these are needed as parent references.

Step 2 — Format the spreadsheet

The upload requires a specific column layout. Incorrect formatting will cause the task to fail.

Column

Required header

Notes

1st

Structure Number

Structure Number

2nd

Asset Hierarchy

Exact header text required

3rd

Id

The AssetHierarchyItemId. Leave blank when inserting new records.

4th

Parent Item Id

The Asset Id from the exported asset list for any first level hierarchy. For second level hierarchies (e.g. Routes), the Parent Item Id will be the Id of the parent hierarchy item.

5th - nth

The Attribute's Attribute Id

Check the Admin Setting -> Attributes to find the 'Attribute Id'

Additional formatting rules:

  • Attribute Id— use the field shortname, not the display description

  • Lookups — use the ID value, not the human-readable display value

  • All cell data must be formatted as Text in Excel

  • Remove columns you are not updating — for example, if you are only updating B.H.06, delete all other B.H.* columns to avoid introducing unintended changes or errors

Step 3 — Run the bulk update task

  1. Go to Admin Settings.

  2. Open the Automation Tasks section.

  3. Select Bulk Update Hierarchy as the Task Type.

  4. Upload your formatted spreadsheet and run the task.

Best practices

  • ✅ Always run in Test first. Validate results thoroughly before executing in Production.

  • ⚠️ Keep uploads under 10,000 records. Larger uploads are likely to fail.

  • 🧹 Strip unused columns. Only include the attributes you are actively updating.

Need help?

If you are unsure about the correct shortnames, lookup IDs, or hierarchy structure for your asset type, contact support and we can provide a sample spreadsheet or walk through the process on a call.