This paper describes important aspects of PD diagnostics of distribution power cables. PD parameter were discussed under consideration of attenuation and dispersive effects of cable characteristics. Field experiences with PD diagnosis on PILC and XLPE cables by energizing with Damped AC Voltage demonstrate relevant demands and the effective outcome for asset management decision support. The main difficulty is to evaluate the risc of PD occurrences on the reliability of the cable system. If an sufficient amount of PD diagnostic data for the cable components is available statistical methods can be used for determing threshold levels and relevant condition indexes for the asset management.@en