What if two users try to edit the same asset at the same time?

The AssetTraq PC program protects you from the unlikely circumstance that two users try to edit the same asset at the same time, by checking the database again before saving any changes. If the database is not the same as it was when details of the asset were displayed on the screen, AssetTraq displays a message explaining that another user has changed the database, and your changes will not be saved.

As an example of why this might happen, consider if two users decided to change information for the same asset. Both users edit the asset, where the cost field and the serial number fields are currently blank, and on both screens, the same information is displayed. User 1 then changes the Cost field to $200, and saves the updated data. The asset information on User 2’s screen is now inaccurate, but User 2 doesn’t know – the cost field is blank. If User 2 were to save her data, the cost field would become blank again, so we can’t let that happen. Let’s look at the same situation the other way around – User 2 makes a change to the serial number field, and saves the updated data. The information on User 1’s screen is now inaccurate, but User 1 doesn’t know. If User 1 changes the Cost field to $200 and saves her data, she would update the cost field, but blank out the newly changed serial number field – again, something we can’t let happen.

So, when the Save button is pressed, AssetTraq checks the asset data in the database, and only allows the save if the asset data is the same as it was when it was displayed on the screen. In circumstances such as this, one or the other of the users changes cannot be made, and AssetTraq is designed so that the changes made by the first user to press the Save button are saved, and the second user receives a message explaining why their data cannot be saved.

The second user will then have to edit the record again, and make their changes again. Hopefully, the first user won’t quickly pull the carpet out from under the second user again!