Manage asset types

Updated: May 8, 2026

You can create, edit, move, and delete an asset type, including how it is represented.

Create an asset type

You can create your own asset type if the out-of-the-box asset types don't meet your needs.

Prerequisites

• You have a global role with the Product Rights > System administration global permission.
• Your Collibra environment is licensed to create custom asset types.

Steps

1. On the main toolbar, click → Settings.
   The Settings page opens.
2. Click the Operating model tab.
   Operating Model settings are shown.
3. Click Add.
   The Create Asset Type dialog box appears.
4. Enter the required information.
   

   Field	Description
   Name	Unique name to identify the asset type.
   Description (optional)	Description for the asset type.
   Parent asset type	Parent asset type from which the new asset type will inherit its characteristics.

5. Click Create.

Edit an asset type

You can change the name and other properties of an asset type. You can also change the color and icon by which an asset is represented in Collibra. This helps users quickly identify a specific asset type in a diagram.

Note Some asset types are managed by Collibra, meaning that they are system-managed and you can't edit their public ID.

Prerequisites

You have a global role with the Product Rights > System administration global permission.

Steps

1. Open the asset type:
   1. On the main toolbar, click → Settings.
      The Settings page opens.
   2. In the Operating model section, click Asset types.
   3. On the Asset types page, click the name of the asset type.

   Tip You can also open an asset type from an asset page by clicking the asset type in the upper-left corner of the asset page.

2. Click Edit.
   The Edit <asset type> dialog box appears.
   
3. Enter the required information.
   

   Field	Description
   Name	Unique name to identify the asset type.
   Allow identical asset names per domain	Identifies if identical asset names are allowed in the same domain.
   Enable ratings	Identifies if users can rate assets. Tip Ratings enable users to subjectively rate the quality of an asset using a five-star rating system and enter a free-text review of the asset to support their rating.
   Display options	Fields in this section allow you to edit how assets of this type are represented on asset pages and in diagrams.
   Color	Color for assets. For a custom color, use the Color hex value field instead.
   Color hex value	Hexadecimal code of the color for assets. For a list of colors and their hexadecimal codes, go to ColorHexa.
   Symbol	Graphical representation for assets of this type. You can select one of the following values: None: No graphical representation is used for assets. Code:Assets are represented with a code before them. You can specify the required code in the Code field. Icon:Assets are represented with an icon before them. You can select the required icon in the Icon reference field.
   Code	Code shown before assets. This code is also shown in the legend of diagrams. By default, this field contains the initials of the selected asset type. This field is shown only if you selected Code in the Symbol field.
   Icon reference	Icon shown before assets. This icon is also shown in the legend of diagrams. This field is shown only if you selected Icon in the Symbol field.
   Preview	Two previews of your asset type configuration: The first preview is the title bar on asset pages. The second preview is a diagram node.

4. Click Save.

Move an asset type

You can change the parent asset type of a custom asset type by moving the asset type to a different parent. When you move an asset type, it inherits the assignment of the new parent asset type.

Note Some asset types are managed by Collibra, meaning that they are system-managed and you can't move them.

Prerequisites

You have a global role with the Product Rights > System administration global permission.

Steps

1. On the main toolbar, click → Settings.
   The Settings page opens.
2. Click the Operating model tab.
   Operating Model settings are shown.
3. In the Asset types table, in the Actions column of the asset type row, click .
   Tip Alternatively, you can click the name of the asset type, and then, on the More menu, click Move.
   The Move <asset type> dialog box appears.
4. In the Parent asset type field, select the new parent asset type, and then click Save.

Delete an asset type

You can delete a custom asset type if you no longer need it, provided that it isn't used as the head or tail in a derived relation type. System-managed asset types can't be deleted.

Prerequisites

• You have a global role with the Product Rights > System administration global permission.
• Ensure that assets of the asset type that you want to delete don't exist. If they do, you need to either change their asset type or delete the assets.

Steps

1. On the main toolbar, click → Settings.
   The Settings page opens.
2. Click the Operating model tab.
   Operating Model settings are shown.
3. In the Asset types table, in the Actions column of the asset type row, click .
   Tip Alternatively, you can click the name of the asset type, and then, on the More menu, click Delete.
   
   The Delete this asset type dialog box appears.
4. Click Delete.