Onboard a Device

Use this page to choose the right onboarding path for your device estate.

Onboarding creates or prepares the device record before normal device management begins.

Registration happens when the device first contacts the server.

Use onboarding when the device record must be created, imported, or prepared before the device is fully managed.

When to use this page

Use this page when you need to decide how a device should enter Device Management.

Choose a path based on:

• how many devices you need to onboard
• whether the device record must exist before first contact
• whether the device should register itself automatically
• whether shipment or custody data drives the onboarding flow

Before you start

Confirm that you know:

• whether your role allows device creation or import
• whether you are onboarding one device or many
• whether the device can contact the Device Management server
• whether the device should auto-register on first contact
• which tenant, hierarchy, or group should own the device

Prepare these inputs when available:

• serial number or device ID
• model
• target placement or deployment context
• source file or integration source for bulk onboarding
• target hierarchy and reference set when you plan to add devices manually

Use manual add or bulk import when the device record must exist before first contact. Use auto-registration when the device should create its record during first contact.

Choose the right method quickly

Use:

• Add a single device when you need to create one device record and already know its placement
• Bulk import devices when you need to create many records from a prepared file
• Registering the device when the device should create its own record on first contact
• Asset tracking when onboarding starts from shipment, custody, or location workflows

Decide in this order

Use these questions in order:

1. Do you need to onboard one device or many?
2. Must the record exist before first contact?
3. Will the device data come from manual entry, an import file, or an asset workflow?

This order helps you avoid choosing a flow too early.

Signals that change the decision

Use these rules when more than one path seems possible:

• if the record must already exist, do not use auto-registration
• if shipment, custody, or receiving data starts the workflow, use asset tracking first
• if one urgent device needs setup before a bulk file is ready, use manual add for that device
• if many devices share the same prepared source data, use bulk import

Choose your onboarding path

Use this flow to select the right method.

1

1. Are you onboarding one device or many?

• Use Add a single device when you need to create one device record manually.
• Use Bulk import devices when you need to create many records from a prepared file.
• If the device should not be pre-created, go to the next step.

2

2. Should the device create its record on first contact?

• Use Registering the device when the device should auto-register after it connects to the server.
• If onboarding starts from shipment, custody, or location work, go to the next step.

3

3. Does onboarding start from an asset workflow?

• Use Asset tracking when onboarding starts from shipment, custody, or location workflows.
• Use Devices when you need the broader device workflow after onboarding is complete.

What each path requires

Manual add

Use manual add when you need full control over one device record before first contact.

Prepare:

• Serial Number
• Device ID
• Model
• target Hierarchy
• target Reference set

Choose this path when placement and identifiers are already known.

Bulk import

Use bulk import when you already have many device records prepared.

Prepare:

• a supported CSV or XML file
• the required device details for the import flow
• time to review the import result after submission

Choose this path when the file is ready and the same import flow applies to many devices.

Auto-registration

Use auto-registration when the device should create its own record during first contact.

Confirm that:

• no device record already exists
• the device can contact the Device Management server
• the correct hierarchy IP address range is configured
• you know which root hierarchy should receive the device

Choose this path when the device should appear only after it connects.

Asset workflow

Use asset workflows when onboarding starts outside the main add flow.

This path fits cases where shipment, custody, or location activity drives device intake before deployment.

Confirm that you have the shipment, receiving, location, or custody values needed by that workflow.

Do not pre-board a device when you expect it to auto-register on first contact. Auto-registration requires the record to be absent before registration starts.

Validate the decision before you start

Use these checks to confirm you picked the right flow:

• choose manual add when one device needs a controlled setup
• choose bulk import when many devices share the same import process
• choose auto-registration when no pre-created record should exist
• choose asset tracking when custody or location activity drives intake first

Verify the chosen path before you commit

Run these checks before you start the actual onboarding task:

• Manual add — confirm the hierarchy, reference set, and identifiers are final
• Bulk import — confirm the file format, required columns, and target ownership values
• Auto-registration — confirm there is no existing record and the device can reach the server
• Asset workflow — confirm the custody or location event should happen before normal registration

How to verify the right outcome

After you choose a method, confirm the expected result:

• Manual add — the device record appears in the device list and is ready for registration
• Bulk import — the import completes and the expected device records appear in the device list
• Auto-registration — the device record is created after first contact and the status becomes Active or Pending Hierarchy Assignment
• Asset workflow — the device enters the expected custody or location workflow before operational registration

Common decision scenarios

Use these examples to confirm the path:

• One known device arrives early — use manual add if you already know its placement and identifiers
• A staging team sends a prepared file — use bulk import if the file is ready for upload
• Field devices will register themselves — use auto-registration if no record should exist before first contact

Common problems to avoid

Check these before you proceed:

• use manual add or bulk import only when the device record must exist before first contact
• use auto-registration only when the device is not already onboarded
• use bulk import only when the file is ready in CSV or XML format
• confirm the tenant, hierarchy, or group context before you create records

Common outcomes

Use these checks to narrow the issue:

• You are unsure which path to use — decide first whether the record must exist before first contact
• A device is onboarded twice — review whether it was pre-created and later allowed to auto-register
• Many devices need setup but the file is not ready — finish the import file first or switch to manual add for urgent single devices
• The onboarding result looks correct but the device is not active yet — continue to Registering the device and Device heartbeats

Result

After onboarding, one of these outcomes applies:

• a device record is created manually
• multiple device records are imported
• a device registers on first contact and becomes managed
• a device enters the asset tracking workflow with the required custody context

Next steps

• Add devices — choose the pre-creation flow for one or many devices
• Registering the device — review first-contact behavior
• Device heartbeats — confirm the device continues to check in
• Device life cycle — understand later device states