Skip to content
Salesforce Dictionary - Free Salesforce GlossarySalesforce Dictionary
Full Asset Relationship entry
How-to guide

How to record an asset replacement

Record that one asset replaced another by creating an Asset Relationship from the original asset record. You build it once, from the Primary Assets related list, and Salesforce mirrors it onto the replacement asset.

By Dipojjal Chakrabarti · Founder & Editor, Salesforce DictionaryLast updated Jun 16, 2026

Record that one asset replaced another by creating an Asset Relationship from the original asset record. You build it once, from the Primary Assets related list, and Salesforce mirrors it onto the replacement asset.

  1. Create or confirm both Asset records

    Make sure the original asset and the replacement asset both exist as Asset records. If the replacement is new equipment, create that Asset first so it is available to link.

  2. Open the original asset and find Primary Assets

    Open the asset that was replaced. On its record page, find the Primary Assets related list, which holds the assets that replaced this one.

  3. Add the replacement and set the relationship type

    Create a new entry in Primary Assets, select the replacement asset, and choose the relationship type that describes the change. Save the record.

  4. Verify the mirrored entry

    Open the replacement asset and confirm the link appears in its Related Assets list pointing back at the original. The direction should read correctly from both records.

Assetrequired

The first asset in the relationship, typically the original unit you open to create the record.

Related Assetrequired

The second asset in the relationship, typically the replacement unit you select from the list.

Relationship Typerequired

The picklist value describing why the assets are linked, such as a replacement style of change.

Gotchas
  • Read the list labels literally. Primary Assets holds what replaced this asset; Related Assets holds what this asset replaced. Reversing them inverts your history.
  • You only create the link once. Salesforce populates the matching list on the other asset automatically, so do not enter it twice.
  • Do not use this object for containment. If one asset sits inside another, model that with Asset Hierarchy and the ParentId field instead.

See the full Asset Relationship entry

Asset Relationship includes the definition, worked example, deep dive, related terms, and a quiz.