Overview
You may see the following notification in Dots:
Asset could not be assigned because the employee is missing in Dots or uses a different email than the one provided in your MDM
This is not an error — it’s a notification indicating that Dots could not match the employee email from your MDM (Mobile Device Management) platform to an existing employee profile.
This article explains:
What this notification means
Why it happens
How to resolve it step by step
What Does This Mean?
During the MDM sync process, Dots attempts to match device assignments based on the employee’s work email address.
If an asset is assigned in your MDM to:
employee@company.com
But Dots cannot find an employee profile with that exact email address, the asset will remain unassigned in Dots.
⚠️ The email address must match exactly (including spelling and domain).
Why This Happens?
This usually occurs for one of the following reasons:
1. The Employee Does Not Exist in Dots
The employee was never:
Uploaded via CSV
Created manually
Synced from your HRIS
2. The Employee Was Deleted
The employee previously existed in Dots but was:
Removed due to HRIS sync
Deleted manually
3. Email Mismatch Between Systems
The email in your MDM does not exactly match the email stored in Dots.
Common examples:
MDM Email | Dots Email | Result |
❌ No match | ||
❌ No match | ||
✅ Match |
How to Fix Asset Assignment When the Employee Is Missing in Dots?
Follow the steps below to resolve the issue.
Step 1: Search for the Employee in Dots
Open Dots
Go to Employees
Search using the exact work email shown in your MDM
Step 2: If the Employee Does Not Exist
You have two options:
Option A: Create Manually
Create a new employee profile using the exact work email from the MDM.
Option B: Upload via CSV
If adding multiple employees, upload them via CSV using the correct work email format.
If You Have an HRIS Integration
💡 Good to know: Your HRIS is considered the source of truth for employee data.
If you manually create an employee in Dots and later the same employee is synced from your HRIS using the same official company email:
The profiles will automatically sync.
No duplication will occur.
Previously assigned assets will remain assigned.
Employee details will update based on HRIS data.
This ensures data consistency while allowing you to immediately resolve assignment issues.
Step 3: Verify the Email Matches Exactly
Before proceeding, confirm:
The email in Dots matches the email in your MDM
There are no spelling errors
The domain is correct
Even small differences will prevent assignment.
Step 4: Trigger Synchronization
Once the employee record is correct:
Trigger a manual sync (if available), or
Wait for the next automatic MDM sync cycle
Step 5: Retry Asset Assignment
After synchronization completes:
Reattempt the assignment
The asset should now correctly link to the employee
Preventing This in the Future
To avoid recurring mismatches:
Ensure HRIS → Dots sync is active
Standardize work email formats across systems
Avoid manually editing employee emails unless necessary
Confirm MDM is assigning devices to official company emails