Software Asset Management for the Licenses

  • KM633767
  • 27-Mar-2009
  • 30-Aug-2010

Summary

It is very common to have Multiple Licenses (e.g. when you buy 1.000 rights for Microsoft Project). What is the process to link 1.000 computers to this item. The software asset management for the licenses is really intended for the Management constraint of Asset Tag, for Batches, not Unique Asset Tag.

Question

Questions about the relationship between a multiple SW License and Computers.

When creating an Asset with Nature="Software License", in the License page there is a "Single/Multiple" field.
In the help of this field it says:

"This field only makes sense if the License field bSoftLicense has been selected in the asset's nature.
If you select Single, Asset Manager will warn you if you link several computers to this software item.
If you select Multiple, Asset Manager displays the License Type (LicType) and Rights (lSoftLicUseRights) fields.
This field is populated using a system itemized list (list of values that cannot be modified)"

Actually it is very common to have Multiple Licenses (e.g. when you buy 1.000 rights for Microsoft Project). What is the process to link 1.000 computers to this item.
I don't see a "1 to many" relationship with which I can relate 1.000 computers to this item, as well as to many other items (corresponding to other licences that the computers are entitled to).

Answer

The software asset management for the licenses is really intended for the Management constraint of Asset Tag, for Batches, not Unique Asset Tag.

By changing it from Unique Asset Tag to Asset Tag,,,when creating new Portfolio Items that will allow setting the quantity to what needed.
Once created though, it does become read only.
Out Of Box it is a unique asset.
That’s because it CAN be tracked as a unique asset, and for whatever reason the developers decided that’s what they’d do in the demo database. However, the generally recommended way to do it is as a batch asset instead.