Comprehensive asset management is a process. It is far more than an ad-hoc counting of items. There is a planning phase, where they types of assets that are to be managed are identified and grouped, and how they are to be tracked and managed. Following the planning phase comes the Data Entry phase, where the assets are tagged in some way, and information about each item is collected. When is considered to be useful information, the assets are assigned value by certified appraisers who provide Fair Market Value information for the assets. The information gained in these phases is entered into a database for asset tracking, the final phase in the process. Once the assets are tracked, changes (such as movement, asset retirement, additions, etc.) are also tracked so that locating assets can be accomplished at any time required.