Asset reservation system solutions in Service Desk?

mattbo

Web Help Desk had a reservation feature that allowed for assets to be reserved, checked out, and checked in.  Has anyone come up for a workable solution for a loaner equipment reservation system in Service Desk?

jeremymayfield

SolarWinds Service Desk does not natively replicate the legacy reservation workflow found in SolarWinds Web Help Desk (i.e., calendar-based asset reservation with check-in/check-out controls). However, a workable and supportable loaner equipment reservation system can be implemented using:

• Asset records
• Custom fields
• Service Catalog items
• Approval workflows
• Automation rules

Option 1 – Recommended: Service Catalog–Driven Reservation Workflow

Use:

• Assets module → Track loaner devices
• Service Catalog item → “Reserve Loaner Equipment”
• Workflow automation → Manage approval, assignment, and lifecycle
• Custom asset fields → Track reservation status & dates

Configuration Blueprint

Asset Configuration

Create a dedicated Asset Type:

Loaner Equipment

Add custom fields:

• Reservation Status (Available / Reserved / Checked Out / In Maintenance)
• Reserved From (Date)
• Reserved To (Date)
• Reserved By (User)
• Checkout Date
• Checkin Date

Service Catalog Item

Create a catalog item:

Loaner Equipment Request

Include form fields:

• Equipment Type
• Requested Start Date
• Requested End Date
• Business Justification
• Location

Route to:

• IT Support Queue
• Optional Manager Approval

Automation Workflow

Use automation rules:

When:

• Ticket approved

Then:

• Update selected Asset:
  • Reservation Status = Reserved
  • Populate Reserved By
  • Populate Reserved Dates
• Assign asset to requester
• Change ticket status to “Scheduled”

When:

• Checkout confirmed
  • Set status = Checked Out

When:

• Check-in ticket closed
  • Set status = Available
  • Clear reservation fields

Option 2 – Queue-Based Reservation (Simpler Model)

If you do not require date overlap enforcement:

• Maintain loaner pool as assets
• Create ticket types:
  • “Loaner Checkout”
  • “Loaner Check-in”
• Use automation to update Asset Owner
• Use reporting to track active loans

This is operationally simpler but does not prevent scheduling conflicts.

Handling Reservation Conflicts (Key Limitation)

SolarWinds Service Desk does not provide:

• Native calendar-based availability
• Automatic date conflict detection
• Asset locking

Workarounds:

1. Custom report showing:
   • Reservation Status
   • Reserved Date Range
2. Automation rule:
   • If Reservation Status = Reserved
   • Reject new request
3. Use Power Automate / API integration for more advanced validation.

Advanced Option – API-Driven Reservation Control

Using Service Desk API:

• On ticket creation
• Query asset availability
• If available → auto-assign
• If not → auto-reject or route to waitlist

This provides more deterministic control.

Governance Recommendations

For production stability:

Dedicate asset type for loaners
Restrict manual asset editing
Standardize lifecycle states
Create dashboard for “Currently Checked Out”
Add SLA for overdue returns

Comparison Summary

Feature	Web Help Desk	Service Desk
Native reservation calendar	✔	✖
Check-in / Check-out	✔	Via workflow
Asset automation	Limited	Strong
API capability	Limited	Strong
Modern ITSM workflow	Limited	✔

Strategic Recommendation

Implement a Catalog + Asset Automation model.

If your environment requires:

• True date-based scheduling
• Conflict avoidance
• High reservation volume

You may need:

• Custom API logic
• Or third-party scheduling overlay