Example below. COBie (Construction Operations Building information exchange — ISO 15686-4) is a structured spreadsheet handover. 14 worksheets, plus the cross-cutting concepts (workflow, relationships, validation, key-column rules) that govern whether the deliverable is actually usable. Press / to focus the search box.
Core worksheets  ›  Type

Asset types — manufacturer, model, warranty

Type
REQUIRED CORE WORKSHEET COBie2.4 / 3.0

What it represents

The product-family catalogue. One row per make-and-model — '600x600 LED Panel by Acme', 'Mitsubishi PEAD-M50JA fan coil', 'Caroma Sapphire pan'. Carries the manufacturer, model number, expected service life, warranty terms, replacement cost and any maintenance schedule. Most of the asset value in a COBie deliverable lives on Type rows.

Required columns

Name CreatedBy CreatedOn Category Description AssetType Manufacturer ModelNumber WarrantyDurationParts WarrantyDurationLabor ReplacementCost ExpectedLife + ExtSystem, ExtObject, ExtIdentifier

Useful optional columns

ModelReference Shape Size Color Finish Material SustainabilityPerformance CodePerformance

Cross-sheet relationships

Component.TypeName → Type.Name
Every Component instance points back to one Type
Spare.TypeName → Type.Name
Spares are held against Type rows, not individuals
Job.TypeName → Type.Name
Planned maintenance is defined per Type, applied to all instances
Document & Attribute
Polymorphic attachment via SheetName + RowName

Why this matters for estimating & FM

This is where lifecycle cost begins. ReplacementCost × (Component count / ExpectedLife) gives the asset's annualised renewal exposure across the whole building. WarrantyDurationParts & WarrantyDurationLabor drive the defects-liability schedule. Get this sheet right and the FM team can run their first 12 months of operations from the file alone.

Common pitfall

AssetType is a constrained picklist with only two valid values: Fixed or Moveable. Anything else passes the blank-check validator but causes the asset to be omitted from the maintenance register on import to most CAFM systems.

Coverage in this viewer

14 worksheets
6 required (Core)
8 reference (Supporting)
4 concept entries
Pick any worksheet from the tree on the left to view it the same way. Start with the Workflow entry under Concepts if you're new to COBie — it explains who's responsible for which data at which project stage.