Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (FAQ)

Inventif is a fixed asset physical inventory solution that provides the software and hardware resources to carry out your inventories autonomously.

Inventif is the main software of the solution which makes it possible to take inventories and manage fixed assets. It is installed on Windows PCs.
ExNihilo is the program that is installed on Opticon terminals (PHL, OPH) for mobile fixed asset inventory taking.
Movintory 1 is the program that is installed on Windows Mobile terminals for mobile fixed asset inventory taking.
Movintory 2 is the program that is installed on Android mobile terminals for mobile fixed assets inventory taking.

Reconcil is a software program that makes it possible to reconcile two sets of records. The two sets of records can be: on the one hand, the fixed asset physical inventory records from Inventif and, on the other hand, the accountancy fixed asset records.
It is installed on Windows PCs.

Transmap is a software for customizing data that has been exported from Inventif.
Let's assume that these exported data are intended to be imported into another software that requires a certain input data format.
Transmap makes it possible to modify dates and floats formats and map boolean values to other values (for example: true or false instead of 1 or 0).
Constant data can be added to fixed assets (for example: the currency of their purchase price (euros, dollar, ...)).
Transmap makes it possible to map Inventif fields with the other software fields.
It is installed on Windows PCs.

Retiq is a software that makes it possible to relabel a set of items which have already been labeled. A portable thermal transfer printer is used for printing the new labels.

We think so. We are doing the best we can to propose easy-to-use solutions.
Inventif is based on simple principles that are common to every enterprise or structure that has to manage fixed assets and take inventories.
The base method Inventif proposes is natural to adopt and can be reduced to the minimum amount of work given a proper organization that Inventif helps to implement: create data in the software, print and stick fixed asset inventory labels, take inventory by scanning barcodes (or 2D codes) using a specialized terminal.
The hardware we propose is quality hardware that helps to work well and efficiently.
In the packs we propose, we include all the software and equipment that are needed to take fixed asset physical inventories in the best conditions. As a software editor, our offers are limited to the equipment we have properly tested and work well together.
We are absolutely committed to ensuring that our customers are autonomous and masters of their practice.

Inventif is a Windows application (11, 10, 8, 7, Vista).
The data can be on Windows or Linux servers.

Reconcil is a Windows application (11, 10, 8, 7, Vista).

Movintory 2 is an Android application.
Movintory 1 is a Windows Mobile 5, 6, 6.5 application.

Exnihilo is an application that can be installed on Opticon handheld terminals.

All our software are available in French and English.

Inventif and Reconcil are Windows applications (11, 10, 8, 7, Vista), which will work well on a standard Windows computer; 300 MB of hard disk space is required for these software base installations. Databases will also need disk space for their storage and this space depends both on the database management system used and the amount of data in the database.

The Inventif license is available on our website at the address below:
Inventif - License agreement
Here is the principle. A license is assigned to a single inventory team. An inventory team is a hierarchically constituted group of individuals whose task is to carry out the inventories in the enterprise or the structure.
The use of Inventif for the global inventory of decentralized organizations or sub-organizations is excluded from the license. Such decentralized use of Inventif is subject to negotiation and specific contract.
Inventif can be installed on as many workstations as necessary as long as their users are part of this inventory team.

The Exnihilo and Movintory license is available on our website at the address below:
License agreement for Exnihilo and Movintory
Here is the principle. A license for the ExNihilo and Movintory programs is required for each terminal in which these software are installed.
Our programs are always installed and tested in the terminals we sell.
If you want to install our software in terminals that you have acquired elsewhere, you must purchase a license for each installed software.

The Reconcil license is available on our website at the address below:
Reconcil - License agreement
Here is the principle.

Yes.

Log in to your customer account on our website to retrieve your installation key.

Yes, Inventif offers all the useful tools to print and read barcodes.
2D codes cannot be read by all our terminals. Opticon OPH terminals cannot read 2D codes because of their 1D laser reading head.

We support all standard 1D and 2D symbologies.
By default, we write barcodes in code 128 and we can read all major market codes.
In particular, this means that we can use Inventif on an already labeled park.

You will need to be able to print barcode (or 2D code) labels and for that you will need a printer, ink and labels. You will also need to be able to read these codes and for that, you will need a barcode (or 2D code) reader.
Regarding barcode (or 2D code) readers, we offer software for Opticon, Android or Windows Mobile terminals.
Our software are pre-installed in the barcode (or 2d code) readers that we sell.
Printers with a Windows driver work well with our solution.
We offer all these equipment in our catalog.

It is possible to use Inventif without barcodes and without labeling, especially in the case of small inventories.
However, if you want to get all the benefits of our solution, it is better to use barcode labeling.

In conjunction with Inventif, you can use the terminals for which we have developed programs.
We provide programs for PDAs (pocket PCs) under Android, Windows Mobile (v. 5, 6 and 6.5) as well as specific programs for Opticon PHL, OPH, OPN terminals.
Our software are pre-installed in the terminals we sell.

Yes, it is possible but not recommended.
In this case, it is necessary to be able, from the data of the terminal, to provide Inventif with a data file respecting a specific format.
To transfer the data to Inventif and update the inventory database, you will have to indicate the location of this file.

All printers with a Windows driver work with our solution.
We recommend using specific thermal transfer printers for label rolls. First because this format (rolls and labels strips) is easy and convenient to handle and second, because transfer printing of hot resin is durable.
However, if you do not want to invest in such a printer, you can still print your labels using label sheets that you insert into your office printer (laser printer for plastic (vinyl, polyester) labels).
Note that, in that last case, printing the next available label without waste is a bit tricky and also, the solidity of the printing is not as good.

Yes.
Inventif allows you to layout your labels and choose the information you want to print on them.
Label printing is controlled directly from Inventif.

In the market, the offer of labels is very wide. The main technical characteristics to pay attention to are the label material and the adhesive. We speak about polyester or vinyl labels, with reinforced adhesive, non-removable, or non-transferable, etc. Prices vary considerably depending on the characteristics of the labels.
We currently offer, at a very attractive price, polyester labels with a reinforced permanent adhesive, format 50 mm x 20 mm. These labels are adapted to fixed asset inventory taking, but we can, on request, propose labels with other specifications.

Labels can be printed on any medium as long as the printer has a Windows driver.
In the solutions we propose, labels are printed on polyester, vinyl or destructible media and the prints are made by thermal transfer of resin.
The labels that we offer are packaged in rolls.

Yes. Each item property (name, serial number, etc.) can be selected and added to the label template so that the information will appear on the label at print time.
To do that, a powerful publishing module, Combit GmbH’s List & Label, is integrated into Inventif.

Inventory data in an Inventif inventory are structured according to three main axes: locations, categories and item records.

An item in Inventif is an equipment that we want to manage and to inventory, a fixed asset. It is always attached to exactly one location and one category.

A location in Inventif is either a physical or a virtual location. It is a folder which contains items. An item is always attached to a location.
The notion of location can be extended.
Indeed, a location in Inventif can also represent a person. In this case, an item present in this location will be associated with this person.
A location in Inventif can also represent a division, that is to say an organizational dimension, for example "Accounting department".

It is a location that is used either for items entry in the inventory database or item exit from this database.

The "Inputs" location, as its name suggests, is the privileged and recommended location for creating new items using the Inventif various tools or by import. This location items are in the database but are not yet in the inventory. "Inputs" and all its sub-locations are virtual locations.

The "Outputs" location contains a location tree with various predefined output locations. An item that used to be in the inventory will end up in one of these locations depending on the reason why it was removed from the inventory. For example, the item may have disappeared, may have been loaned, may be under repair, etc.). These locations are virtual locations.

Each enterprise or structure has its own set of items which nature sometimes depends on its activity. Each type (or family) of items is a category in Inventif. Categories are arranged in a tree, the categories tree.
Each item is attached to a category. The default category is the category "Unspecified".
Example of very wide categories are: furniture, IT assets, vehicles, tools, biomedical equipment, scientific equipment, hotel equipment, machinery, fire and rescue equipment, air conditioning equipment, ...

With barcode (or 2D code) labels.
In Inventif, each location and each item is assigned a unique number.
We stick, at the entrance of each location and on each item, the barcode (or 2D code) label that has this unique number printed on.

Inventory taking, in its simplest form, consists in scanning first a location barcode (or 2D code) second, the codes of all the items present in that location and to reproduce this sequence for all the locations in the company.
When taking inventory, it is possible to enter additional item information in the field, such as the observed condition of an item or a serial number or any other information of interest.

Transferring data from the barcode reader into Inventif is very simple: put the terminal in its cradle and click a button in Inventif.

You can import into Inventif data that already exist in another software (accounting for example) or data that have been prepared in a spreadsheet or data from another database.
All, or part of the data, can also be extracted from Inventif so that they can be retrieved by other applications.

Yes, the data formats are text, XML or SQLite. These formats are documented. We prefer and recommend XML import.

Yes, the data formats are text, XML or SQLite.
It is possible to select and order the fields to be exported.
It is also possible to filter the data that we want to export according to criteria. For example: a two-criterion filter can be: 1. all the items which category is "IT equipment" 2. for one specific location.
In Inventif, exporting data is a very simple and wizard-guided operation. We prefer and recommend text export.

In Inventif, you can get by location or by category fixed asset listings or cards in a single click.
Using filters, you can get customized reports.
With configured printings, you can choose exactly what you want to see in your reports.

Inventif proposes report templates that can suit your needs as is or with a few simple modifications such as changing the logo and the name of the organization.
Otherwise, the content and print format of the reports can be configured: you can select and lay out all the elements of the inventory.
To do that, a powerful editing module, List & Label from Combit GmbH, is integrated into Inventif.

Yes, using the inventory comparison functionality.

Yes, using the inventory comparison functionality.

Yes, using the inventory comparison functionality.

At any time, you can:
- print a total or partial report according to various criterion;
- clone the inventory to take a "photo" of it at a given time.

Yes, Inventif can be installed on all the workstations of an inventory team in the same local network. All the Inventif software installed on the various workstations can work simultaneously on the same inventory database.

Yes, if there is an efficient VPN (Virtual Private Network) between these sites.
If this condition is not met, it is also possible. In this case, it will be necessary to work in a disconnected way with a master inventory and secondary inventories and to use Inventif replication mechanism.

Yes. You can work on a copy of the inventory and then update the main inventory from the data of the copy.
You can also work on Inventif data using the Exnihilo and Movintory programs which run on mobile terminals. The Inventif inventory will be updated when the data is transferred from the terminal to Inventif.

Yes, you can download the trial version of Inventif for free at the address below:
Inventif trial version

All Inventif features are available in its trial version, the only restrictions are as follows:
- 450 predefined items will always be present in the inventories created,
- these 450 items cannot be modified or deleted,
- 50 items can be added on which all operations are possible.
As you probably do not have a barcode reader to evaluate all Inventif functionalities, we hope that you will nevertheless be able to get a quick and accurate idea of our solution.
Indeed, Inventif can be used without barcodes. In this case, items moves are done manually by drag and drop or by copy/cut/paste from one location to another, operations which are normally done using a barcode reader.

Yes. None of the features of Inventif are limited in the trial version of Inventif.

Our pricing policy is very simple, all prices are visible on the page below in euros or dollars and excluding V.A.T.:
Prices, quotations and orders
Prices announced in our quotations or pro forma invoices are valid for one month.
If you enter your billing and delivery addresses, V.A.T. and shipping costs can be calculated and will be included in your quotation or pro forma invoice.

We mainly offer packs containing software, hardware and consumables at different prices but it is also possible to buy all our products separately.

Yes, for certain products, particularly consumables.

You can make your own personalized quotation online.
To do so, first, add the various elements you need to your quotation. Then, go to "Your quotation" in the top-right menu. And finally, follow the instructions.
You will need to fill in your organization details.
For shipping costs calculation, we will need you to enter, at minimum, the delivery country.
Once this information has been entered, the quotation is automatically generated and sent to you by email instantly.

Our general conditions of sale are available on our website at this address:
our G.C.S.

By email to: sales@iodesoft.com
By post at: IODE Sarl - Sales - 104, rue du Goret - 29760 Penmarc'h
We will confirm the proper reception of your purchase order as well as your payment terms.

Send us a purchase order in accordance with this quotation.

Yes.

In mainland France, our payment terms are: net 30 days (on IODE Sarl acceptance).
From anywhere else, our payment terms are: cash with order.

Yes, if you live in the euro zone and the check is made out in euros.
The order will be shipped only after validation of your payment by our bank.
The check must be made out to "IODE Sarl" and sent to: IODE Sarl - Sales - 104, rue du Goret - 29760 Penmarc'h - France.

Yes.
Our bank details are:
IBAN: FR76 3000 4013 7900 0200 2967 289
BIC: BNPAFRPPBRE

IBAN: FR76 3000 4013 7900 0200 2967 289
BIC: BNPAFRPPBRE

Bank transfers and checks in euros issued in the countries of the euro zone.

Shipping costs are paid by the customer. They depend on the distance, the delivery country, the volume and weight of the package and the insurance.
When you request a quotation or a pro forma invoice, the shipping costs are calculated immediately on the basis of the declared destination.

If the products are in stock, the order is generally handed over the carrier within 24 and 72 hours after your payment or after the acceptance of your purchase order.
As for the carrier's delivery times, they depend on the distance and the country.

We ship to all countries.

You are notified by email of your package shipment and you receive a number to track your package on the carrier’s website.

Yes, from your account on our website.

When we send you a package, the invoice is included with the shipment.
You will also receive your invoice by email.

There are minor updates and major updates:
- minor updates are free,
- major updates require payment, but they are free for six months after Inventif purchase.

Major software updates fix possible bugs and always bring new features to Inventif. We offer these updates to our customers at one-third of the price of the full product.

Major updates are available free of charge for six months after purchasing Inventif.
Minor updates are always free, but a minor update cannot be made from "version n+1" to "version n".

Major updates are free within six months after purchasing Inventif.

We offer these updates to our customers at one-third of the price of the full product.

By logging into your account, you will be able to access your quotations and pro forma invoices.
You will also be able to download your software licenses.
If you have completed the Inventif trial version download request form, you will find a link to download it.

You can modify your title, your last name, your first name, your function, your email address and your password.
We undertake not to disclose any of the information you may have provided to us.

Support is free for any simple and punctual question that has an immediate answer and does not require further investigation.
Any customer who has acquired the latest version of Inventif can be offered remote assistance via screen sharing and possibly remote control.
Assistance or any other specific service (for example data processing) requires a quotation.
These services are charged on an hourly base (ask for our price list).

There is no free support for free software. The user will refer to the documentation.

Yes.

Yes. We provide user manuals for all our software: Inventif, Exnihilo, Movintory, Reconcil.

We pass on the manufacturer's warranty which is usually two years return to factory.

No. Our software do not require special maintenance service.
In case we send you an udpate, you simply install it. We may provide remote assistance in case of difficulties.
If it is a major update, inventory databases have to be updated too. You will use the "Upgrade an inventory" Inventif functionality.
If a problem occurs, you will create a support ticket.

Please consult our "General conditions of sale":
General-conditions of sale

If we cannot fulfill your order within the agreed time, we will refund you.

When all the equipment in an order are in stock, most of the time, we ship within 72 hours. If this is not possible, we contact you to find out if you want to wait, modify your order or request a refund.

To return an equipment that is defective at delivery, you must contact us through our support. If support cannot help you out, they will send you an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization). You will return the equipment to us with a copy of this RMA attached.
The equipment must be returned to us complete with all accessories and documentation in their original packaging.
Shipping costs are at our expense.
Note that all our equipment are carefully tested before shipping.
If it turns out, after we receive back the equipment, that is not defective and that you just didn't know how to operate it, you'll have to refund us the shipping costs.

To return an equipment that is under warranty, you must contact us through our support. If support cannot help you out, they will send you an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization). You will return the equipment to us with a copy of this RMA attached.
The equipment must be returned to us complete with all accessories and documentation in their original packaging.
Under warranty, shipping costs are at your expense.
In mainland France, return costs are at our expense.
From anywhere else, return costs are at our expense up to a maximum of 100 euros.

Yes, we have resellers abroad and in France, ask us.
If you are a reseller, contact us:
Contact

We offer training courses.
Your training needs depend on what you plan to do with the software.
For a basic use and depending on your profile, our software do not absolutely require training.

It depends on the chosen training.
For example, at the end of a complete basic Inventif training, the inventory team is immediately operational. The team has learnt how to use the Inventif software and associated equipment (label printers, barcode readers) but also the team has learnt methods to implement in order to carry out the fixed asset inventory tasks properly.

Generally, in mainland France and for Inventif, we recommend an in-house two days training. Training can also take place at our office.
From anywhere else, if you would like our trainer to come to your country, please contact us.
Otherwise, we can provide remote training.
To learn more about the contents, the organization and the pricing of our training courses, contact us.

It depends on how training is organized.
For example, for a complete Inventif basic training, we usually recommend two days of training.

- To make sure your fixed assets exist in reality and to locate them properly.
- To be able to know your fixed asset values.
- To optimize insurance and maintenance costs.
- To better know your fixed asset useful lives.
- To check your fixed assets existence and their condition.
- To compare fixed asset use-values, net values and sale-values and draw the accounting and operating consequences.
- To be able to reconcile the fixed asset physical inventory against the fixed asset accounting inventory.
- To properly manage your organization fixed assets.
- To help have an accurate evaluation of your company.

Not maintaining a fixed asset physical inventory has the following consequences:
- a lack of knowledge about fixed assets which are not physically present anymore for various reasons, fixed assets which are fully depreciated, fixed assets which are obsolete and consequently the retention of these fixed assets among the set of all fixed assets in the company balance sheet;
- an overestimation of the basis of contracts related to these fixed assets without operating utility (insurance, upkeep and maintenance);
- confusion between apparently identical fixed assets but which ages, states or values are different;
- the loss of fixed assets by forgetting about their existence or not knowing where they are after they have moved (loans for example).

With Inventif, you can create, for each fixed asset, a depreciation schedule. This depreciation schedule accounts for how this fixed asset cost is expensed over its useful life given how it is used. It accounts for the wear and tear of the fixed asset given its use or its obsolescence due to technical progress. Such a tool contributes to the proper control of fixed assets.
Given these fixed asset depreciation schedules, fixed asset net value is known for all these assets which existence has been testified during the inventory campaign. These fixed asset records from Inventif can be reconciled with those of the accounting. This information can be used to purge data from accounting, data which otherwise would have remained in it.

This is thanks to a system of barcodes that Inventif makes it possible to ensure the real existence, at a given moment, of a fixed asset in a particular location. Therefore, this system makes it possible to better know the real value of the fixed assets that appear on the balance sheet of an organization.

In order to control the conditions of use of a fixed asset, that is to say the potential of services and/or future economic benefits derived from this use, the entity which holds it and which already knows it in accounting must also be able to know its location, its condition and its functional affectation.
Inventif allows to simply maintain this knowledge throughout the item life.

This is important for having true and fair accounts and because of legal obligations.
Some charges are based on the gross value of the assets entered in the balance sheet. Too often, this gross value includes the values of missing fixed assets. Detecting them and removing them helps reduce the enterprise expenses.
Knowing what is and isn't a fixed asset is of great importance to investors, as it impacts the evaluation of a company.
Public administrations need to control the existence and the conditions of use of the fixed assets for which the State bears the risks and the charges.

Yes. The rules applicable to the general accounts of the State differ from those applicable to enterprises only because of the specific features of its action.
Any company is required to account for movements that impact its fixed assets. At the end of the financial year, any company must submit annual accounts given accounting records and fixed asset physical inventory records. Any company must check, at least once every twelve months, the existence and the value of their assets and liabilities.

Yes. In Inventif, each fixed asset (item) is attached to a precise location and has management data associated (item card). There are many fields in the item card that can be used to describe each item. For example: the item state, its renewal date, etc. Physically, an item also has a barcode (or 2D code) label attached that can be scanned using a barcode reader.
Item cards can be modified on the field using the barcode readers or directly in Inventif using powerful search and grouped modifications tools. An alerts system can also be set up for these items.

If your fixed assets already have barcode (or 2D code) labels with a unique number attached, it is possible to continue using this labeling and these numbers.
If, in addition to this labeling, you have computer data available, you can import them into Inventif.
If you only have labeling, you can scan the barcodes (or 2D codes) and transfer the collected data to Inventif.

- Create and name your organization locations in the Inventif location tree.
- Print the corresponding barcode labels that you will stick at the entrance of each location.
- Create a category tree to be able to group fixed assets together by category.
- Create fixed asset records using the Inventif "Flash" method.
- Print the corresponding barcode labels that you will stick on the fixed assets.
- Use the barcode reader running the ExNihilo or Movintory program to scan the fixed asset codes in the field.
- Transfer the collected data from the barcode reader into Inventif.
- Print reports.

In Inventif, create a new inventory based on the one of the previous period. This new inventory is now the current inventory.
During the new financial period, for each acquired fixed asset, create an item card in Inventif, print the barcode label, stick it on the item. Put the fixed asset into service. These operations are daily operations.
At the end of the financial period, carry out your fixed asset physical inventory using the barcode reader (scan up to 200 assets / hour).
Compare the current period inventory and the previous period inventory: list the new items, the moved items, the unchecked or missing items.

Your company will continue to calculate its depreciation with its fixed asset management accounting software.
Inventif can be used for verification.
Inventif is a fixed asset physical inventory software that also allows you to calculate depreciation and generate reports in gross, net and annuity values.
Depreciation can be calculated individually, but also globally, by group, according to chosen criteria. This fast calculation of fixed asset net and annuity values can be followed by a consistency check between the fixed asset physical inventory and the accounting inventory.
The fixed asset physical inventory thus makes it possible to optimize the balance sheet and clarify the income statement, especially in companies with a high equipment turnover.

Inventif is a fixed asset physical inventory software that allows you to calculate depreciation and generate reports in gross, net and annuity values.
Depreciation can be calculated globally, in groups according to some criteria, or individually.
Each fixed asset has a corresponding item card in Inventif for which a depreciation schedule can be calculated if the item purchase price has been entered.
All fixed asset data including depreciation data can be exported in order to be used in other software.
A quality fixed asset physical inventory, with fixed asset purchase prices properly entered, helps to clarify the income statement and optimize the balance sheet of the company.

- Before the move, let's suppose that you have an inventory in which the old locations are described.
- Create the new locations in the same inventory.
- After the move, carry out the inventory by scanning the fixed asset barcodes in the new locations.
- For the fixed assets that remain in the old locations and after verification, use the Inventif mechanism to remove these assets from the inventory.
- You can then delete the old locations.
Good to know:
In Inventif, you can enter the destination location of an item or several items at a time. You can print "post-it" type labels to stick on the fixed assets indicating the destination location. At the time of the move, the fixed assets will be placed in the various locations as indicated on these "post-it" labels.