# Asset hierarchy, relationships and lifecycle fields

*Agentforce Field Service and Operations Consultant Study Guide · Managing Assets · Last updated October 29, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/agentforce-field-service-consultant/managing-assets/asset-hierarchy-relationships-and-lifecycle-fields*

How to maintain assets in Agentforce Field Service and Operations: required account or contact, parent-child hierarchies with Root Asset and Asset Level, asset relationships for replacements and upgrades, the accounts and contacts around an asset, Status and Usage End Date, sharing, and the related lists that show an asset's work history.

- Certification: Salesforce Agentforce Field Service and Operations Consultant
- Exam section: Managing Assets
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/agentforce-field-service-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Apply procedural concepts to maintain and update assets and asset relationships.

## What the exam expects

- Create and maintain assets with the required name and account or contact, including competitor assets and assets created after a product is consumed.
- Build asset hierarchies with Parent Asset and Child Assets, read Root Asset and Asset Level, and expose the View Asset Hierarchy tree grid.
- Record replacements, upgrades and crossgrades with asset relationships, add custom relationship types, and read the Primary Assets and Related Assets lists.
- Place the customer, provider and servicer in the right account fields, and use account and contact participants for everyone else in the asset's life.
- Maintain lifecycle fields (Status, Usage End Date), asset sharing and the related lists that show work on an asset.

Key terms:
- **Asset:** a specific product a customer has purchased, with details such as serial number and purchase date.
- **Asset hierarchy:** parent-child links that represent a product with multiple components.
- **Asset relationship:** a non-hierarchical link between a new asset and the existing asset it replaces or modifies.
- **Root Asset:** read-only field listing the top-level asset in a hierarchy.
- **Asset participant:** an Asset Account Participant or Asset Contact Participant record tying an account or contact to an asset's lifecycle.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Asset required fields | Name plus Account, Contact or both | [Asset](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.object_reference.meta/object_reference/sforce_api_objects_asset.htm) |
| Hierarchy size | Up to 10,000 assets | [Asset](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.object_reference.meta/object_reference/sforce_api_objects_asset.htm) |
| Tree grid | Hierarchies of 500 or fewer assets | [Asset Settings](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.assets_edit.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Asset Level | Root 1, children 2, their children 3 | [Asset](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.object_reference.meta/object_reference/sforce_api_objects_asset.htm) |
| Root Asset | Read-only; lists the top-level asset | [Asset Settings](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.assets_edit.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Relationship Asset vs Related Asset | New asset vs existing asset being modified | [AssetRelationship](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.object_reference.meta/object_reference/sforce_api_objects_assetrelationship.htm) |
| Relationship Type | Replacement (default), Upgrade, Crossgrade; more in Setup | [AssetRelationship](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.object_reference.meta/object_reference/sforce_api_objects_assetrelationship.htm) |
| To Date | When the modified asset is uninstalled | [AssetRelationship](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.object_reference.meta/object_reference/sforce_api_objects_assetrelationship.htm) |
| Status defaults | Purchased, Shipped, Installed, Registered, Obsolete | [Asset](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.object_reference.meta/object_reference/sforce_api_objects_asset.htm) |
| Asset sharing off | Access follows the parent object's sharing rules | [Asset Settings](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.assets_edit.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Standard user default | Read, Create, Edit, Delete on assets | [Asset Settings](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.assets_edit.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Participants | Multiple account and contact participants per asset | [Set Up Assets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.fs_manage_assets_in_field_service.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Why can an older asset show an Asset Level of –1?
- When do the Locations and Maintenance Plans related lists appear on an asset?
- Which asset relationship field records when the new asset was installed?
- Which page layouts can carry the Assets related list?

## Sources

- [Configure Asset Settings](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.assets_edit.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Set Up Assets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.fs_manage_assets_in_field_service.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Asset](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.object_reference.meta/object_reference/sforce_api_objects_asset.htm)
- [AssetRelationship](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.object_reference.meta/object_reference/sforce_api_objects_assetrelationship.htm)
- [Track Inventory Consumption in Field Service](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.fs_create_products_consumed.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Set Up Your Field Service Inventory](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.fs_set_up_parts.htm&language=en_US&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 15 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Agentforce Field Service and Operations Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams