Frequently Asked Questions
This page answers common questions about Utility Cloud. For broader guidance, see the relevant help pages or the Utility Cloud Glossary. If you can't find what you're looking for, contact Utility Cloud support or submit a Technical Support Ticket.
General
When I left Utility Cloud and came back, I was no longer signed in. What's happening?
Utility Cloud has a session timeout of 120 minutes. If you're signed in for longer than that without any activity, Utility Cloud automatically signs you out.
Accounts
Why can't I change my account ID?
Account IDs can be set as configurable on create or edit, or they can be set to automatically generate. This setting applies to your entire billing account. Contact Utility Cloud support to change it.
Assets
Why can't I change my asset ID? The asset class I chose doesn't have automatically-generated asset IDs.
Asset IDs can be set to automatically generate at the billing account level, just like account IDs. This doesn't prevent setting up custom automatically-generated IDs per asset class – which will override the billing account setting – but it will prevent you from entering an asset ID manually, even if an asset class doesn't have IDs set to automatically generate. Contact Utility Cloud support to change this setting.
Why can't I view my asset? I keep getting an unauthorized access message.
You may be trying to view an asset you don't have access to. If your security role or right exceptions don't include the "Billing Account Admin" right, you only have access to assets in accounts you're assigned to. Accessing an asset through a direct link or another location outside your accounts will return an unauthorized access message.
This can also happen if you're impersonating a user who has different access levels than you. To see the same assets as the user you're impersonating, sync first from the My Work page.
Esri Subscriptions
Why aren't changes I made in Utility Cloud showing up in ESRI?
Updates made in Utility Cloud may not sync to ESRI immediately. If changes are not appearing after a reasonable delay, verify that your ESRI subscription is correctly configured and that the relevant asset attributes are mapped to the appropriate ESRI fields. Contact Utility Cloud support if the issue continues.
Why is my ESRI layer showing an error or stuck in "In Progress" status?
An ESRI layer can enter an error or stalled state if the connection to the feature server timed out, the service URL is no longer accessible, or the layer encountered an issue during its last sync. Try refreshing the subscription from the account's ESRI Online Subscriptions settings. If the layer remains stuck, contact Utility Cloud support – they may need to manually reset the layer's status.
Why are assets being deactivated after an ESRI sync?
If assets are unexpectedly becoming inactive after an ESRI sync runs, the sync may be interpreting missing or changed records in the ESRI layer as deletions. Review your ESRI layer to ensure all asset records are present and correctly mapped. Contact Utility Cloud support immediately if assets have been incorrectly deactivated, as they may be able to assist with recovery.
Excel Add-in
Why can't I sign in to the Excel Add-in even though my Utility Cloud credentials work?
The Excel Add-in requires specific security rights that are separate from general Utility Cloud access. If you can sign in to Utility Cloud but not the Excel Add-in, your user may be missing the required security rights. Contact your administrator to verify your security role includes the rights needed for reporting features.
Why are numbers displaying and behaving as text in Excel?
The Use String Literal for Reports option on the asset attribute or workflow field may be selected. To resolve this:
Open the asset class or workflow class in question.
Locate and open the number type field displaying as text.
Select the pencil icon to edit the field.
On the Advanced tab, clear the Use String Literal for Reports (i.e. Excel, Google) checkbox.
Select Save on the field, then select Save on the asset class or workflow class.
Re-run the report.
Google Reporting
Why are numbers displaying and behaving as text in Excel and Google Sheets?
The Use String Literal for Reports option on the asset attribute or workflow field may be selected. To resolve this:
Open the asset class or workflow class in question.
Locate and open the number type field displaying as text.
Select the pencil icon to edit the field.
On the Advanced tab, clear the Use String Literal for Reports (i.e. Excel, Google) checkbox.
Select Save on the field, then select Save on the asset class or workflow class.
Re-run the report.
Why did my Google Report fail to publish?
Google Report failures can have several causes. The Google file associated with the report may have been moved, deleted, or had its permissions changed in Google Drive – verify that the file still exists in its original location and that the Utility Cloud service account still has access to it. If the file has been moved, you may need to reconfigure the report to point to the new location. Reports can also fail if the Google account connection has expired or been revoked. Contact Utility Cloud support if the issue persists.
Import/Export
Why is my export taking a long time when I'm only exporting a small amount of data?
Most imports and exports in Utility Cloud run as queued or time-based jobs. If many users are exporting at the same time, your job may be queued. If it's time-based, it may not have started yet. Allow at least 1 hour for most jobs to complete.
Landing Page
Why are my tiles no longer showing on the Landing Page?
The View Tile Tools security right may have been removed from your user. If the right has been added back and you still don't see tiles, you can reset your dashboard by selecting the Default Dash icon and then selecting Reset Tiles.
Sign-in
Why am I seeing an Account Deactivated message when I try to sign in?
This message appears when you try to sign in with an email address that belongs to an inactive user, or when the email address doesn't belong to any user in Utility Cloud.
Map
Why is my asset showing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?
The asset's longitude and latitude may have been unintentionally overwritten – possibly through an import, or from changing an asset that previously had no location data to instead have location data. In either case, location data defaults to longitude 0, latitude 0.
My Work
Why can't I see my work on the My Work page when it's scheduled and assigned to me?
A few reasons why work might not appear on the My Work page:
The work doesn't meet the criteria of any assigned work queues.
Your assigned and synced work queues total over the limit of 2,500 work items.
The work isn't due yet and you're filtering by due work.
Why is syncing taking a long time?
The more work in your work queues, the longer it takes to sync or submit work. You can download a maximum of 2,500 work items, but doing so considerably slows down syncing and submitting.
Why is the submit button still disabled after I switch back to online mode?
After switching from offline to online mode, the submit button may take some time to become available while the app reconnects and validates your pending work. If it remains disabled for an extended period, try navigating away from the page and back, or re-syncing from the My Work page.
Why do I see the "Workflow report is missing required workflow field" message when all required fields are filled in?
A Heading type field may be configured as required in your workflow. This prevents the workflow report from being saved, because there's no way to enter data for a Heading type field. The field will need to be edited to remove the required setting. For more information, see Workflow Classes.
Routes
Why can't I find my assets when creating a route?
Assets only appear in route search results if their asset class has at least one workflow assigned to it. If the asset class doesn't have a workflow, those assets won't show up. For more information, see Asset classes for adding a workflow to an asset class, and Workflow Classes for adding an asset class to a workflow.
Why is the wrong workflow being assigned when creating a route?
When creating a route, a default workflow is used if you don't select a specific one. The default is always applied when adding an asset to a route during create or edit. For more information on setting a default workflow for an asset class, see Asset classes.
Triggers
Why am I seeing an audit that an error occurred on my asset or workflow trigger?
Two scenarios commonly cause a trigger to fail:
There's a mismatch between field types in an asset update trigger. If a trigger tries to update a field to a value that field wouldn't normally support – for example, updating a text field with a number value – the trigger will fail.
The trigger's configuration is no longer valid or the trigger is incomplete. This can happen when the trigger attempts to update a field that's no longer active on the asset.
In both cases, update the trigger in the relevant asset class or workflow. For more information, see Asset classes or Workflow Classes.
Why are asset attribute values being cleared after a trigger runs?
An asset trigger may be unintentionally overwriting attribute values with blank or null data if it's configured to update fields that shouldn't be included in the trigger's scope. Review the trigger's field update settings and remove any fields that should not be modified by the trigger. If you believe data has been incorrectly cleared, contact Utility Cloud support for assistance recovering it.
Users
Why am I getting a message that an email is already in use when I try to create a new user, even though no users appear in the search with that email address?
The email address may already be in use in another billing account or with an inactive user. If the address was previously associated with another user and has since been changed, it won't become available again until that user verifies their new email address.
Why is my admin user unable to edit their own security roles or right exceptions, even though I've assigned all the right security rights?
The Access Admin Only security right lets you edit any other user's security roles or right exceptions, but it prevents that user from editing their own. If you've added all rights to your user, you may have unintentionally added this one. You'll need another administrator with the ability to edit right exceptions to remove it from your user.
Workflow report editor (completing work)
When completing work, why does the save button appear dimmed and not allow me to save?
You might not be able to save if Enable Proximity Verification is turned on for the workflow and you're not close enough to the asset. To resolve this:
Ensure location services are enabled in your browser. See Resetting Location Services for more information.
Move closer to your asset if you're out of range.
Turn off proximity verification if it shouldn't be enabled. For more information, see Workflow Classes.
Add the Override Proximity Verification right exception if proximity verification should remain on but your user needs to bypass it.
Why am I getting an unauthorized access error on a work order I'm assigned when I try to complete it?
You may have been assigned a work order on an asset outside the accounts you have access to. You won't be able to complete the work order until you're assigned to the account its asset belongs to.
This can also happen if you're impersonating a user who has different access levels than you. To see the same work as the user you're impersonating, sync first from the My Work page.
Work orders
Why do I still see my work order on the Asset Details page after I completed it?
The work order may be set to reoccur on the completion date. If so, a new work order is immediately created on that asset once the previous one is completed. Scheduled work created from the Work Scheduler may also be present on that asset. Scheduled work is always associated with an asset but won't show if a work order using the same workflow is already scheduled on it.
Why is my workflow not showing as an option when I try to create a work order on an asset?
Workflows need to have Available for use in work orders selected in the workflow's Advanced options. Without this, they'll only be available in the Work Scheduler and won't appear when creating a work order or route.
How can I change the priority and type for all my work orders?
Priority and type are set at the billing account level. Contact Utility Cloud support to add, remove, or change your priorities and types.
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