Software-license importing overview

You can use the Software License Import folder in the DTS tree view to configure and organize rules that import software license data into the Management Suite software license monitoring (SLM) console.

You can accomplish several tasks related to importing software licenses by accessing the right-click menus for this folder.

Right-click the Software License Import folder to access these menu items:

  • Add group: Creates a group folder that you can use for organizing rules; drag and drop the rules from other folders into this new one. Grouping is useful for running a series of rules together.
  • Import group: Imports a group folder from an .XML file, which is useful in a multi-core environment. This action doesn't import the group's rule configurations, just the definition of which rules are in the group. You must import the rule configuration files separately into the target databases; otherwise, you'll be importing an empty group folder.
  • New rule: Opens the wizard for configuring a new software license import rule.
  • Add software license lookup entry: Adds a new product value to the software license look-up table that DTS uses to map products to licenses. The lists that are built for vendor, product, and version come from the licensed software rules. When running a license import, if you receive the message “Product is not defined for row xyz,” this means that the product was not defined in the look-up table, and you must add it.
  • Delete software license lookup entry: Deletes a product value from the software license look-up table that DTS uses to map products to licenses.
  • Import software license lookup information: Imports new product values from an .XML file into the software license look-up table that DTS uses to map products to licenses.
  • Export software license lookup information: Exports product values as an .XML file from the software license look-up table that DTS uses to map products to licenses.
  • Assign computer groups: Assigns computer groups to a software license, which limits the scope of the license. These groups are ones you've defined using the software license monitoring (SLM) tool.
  • Export computer groups: Exports computer groups (defined in SLM) for use in a software license look-up table in another database, which is useful in a multi-core environment.
  • Import computer groups: Imports computer groups (defined in SLM) from a software license look-up table in another database, which is useful in a multi-core environment.

Open the Software License Import > All Rules folders and right-click a rule to access these menu items:

  • Delete: Deletes a rule. If you delete a system-generated rule, you can reinstall the Data Analytics database to retrieve it, or wait for it to reappear when the Ivanti content update service publishes updates.
  • Edit: Edits a rule you created on your own. With rules that ship by default with DTS, you must first copy and then edit them.
  • Copy: Creates a copy of a rule in the same folder. You can then rename and edit the copy.
  • Export: Exports a rule as an .XML file.
  • Run now: Runs the selected rule immediately, instead of waiting for it to run during a service scan.
  • Schedule: Schedules a rule to run as a task against the inventory database. The task will show up in the DTS Scheduled folder, and a script is created in the Management Suite console's Scheduled Tasks. The script name is normally <rulename>_<rule idn>.ini. If you want to change the scheduled settings, go into Scheduled Tasks and modify them there. Rules don't have to be active in order to schedule them.
  • Run now with exception handling: Runs the selected rule with exceptions, which means you must identify the software you're trying to import while the rule is running. This option is useful for importing software licenses for products that DTS may not recognize.

Importing software licenses

Importing software licenses can be difficult, especially from an external source. You must accurately match up a license with a licensed software product. A report file containing license data from a manufacturer or a website (obtained using a B2B connector rule) may look very different from one coming from another source.

You also need a "key" that correctly links each inventory record to a product. Because CDW might call a product “ADB CS 6 MC,” and En Pointe might call the same product “Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection 6,” it's best practice to ensure that the license import file contains the manufacturer part number as a key. This way, the manufacturer is recognized consistently.

When importing software licenses, DTS uses a look-up table to map the manufacturer part number to a licensed software product. Many part numbers are included in this table, and more are added each time the Ivanti content update service publishes updates to Data Analytics. On occasion, you may need to update the look-up table manually with part numbers that don't already exist.

For more information, see Software-license import wizard

Updating the software license look-up table

If the software license look-up table needs to be updated after you run a license import, you'll receive the message “Product is not defined for row xyz.” This message means the product was not defined in the look-up table, and you must add it.

If you want to see which product values are already defined in the table, right-click the Software License Import folder and select Delete software license lookup entry. The list that appears will show all of the look-up values currently defined.

If your organization has stopped using a software product and license information is no longer needed, you can also delete a value from the look-up table.

  1. In the DTS tree view, right-click the Software License Import folder and select Add software license lookup entry.

    In the Assign product lookup value dialog, you can assign the product to a look-up value. The lists that are built for Vendor, Product, and Version come from the licensed software rules that are already configured. It may be necessary to configure a new licensed software rule if your product is not in the list.
  2. Select the Vendor, Product and Version for this particular entry in your license import file.
  3. Select Multiple products for this value and click the Add button to assign more than one product to this value.
  4. Select Ignore this value to ensure that this value or values won't be assigned to any product in the license import file. For example, some SKUs in a purchase report may not be for a license, but rather for the physical media, such as the disk set. You want to ignore those values.
  5. Copy the look-up value, such as a manufacturer part number, into the Value text box. If you have many values for the same product, enter them on separate lines. For example, Adobe can have thousands of part numbers for the same product, depending on how you purchase the product.
  6. Select Each line makes its own entry to ensure that each value is its own entry in the license import file. This is useful if you're mapping a lot of SKUs and want to paste them in at once.
  7. For Number of licenses for this entry, select the number of licenses for this particular SKU. Most SKUs are only one license, but some vendors will sell a 50-pack SKU, for example.
  8. For License type, select the type from a drop-down list.
  9. Click the Save button to add the values to the database. When you rerun the software license import rule, the line should be imported.
  10. Click the Close button.
  1. In the DTS tree view, right-click the Software License Import folder and select Delete software license lookup entry.

    A dialog displays all products, their part-number values as currently listed in the look-up table, the number of licenses purchased, and the license compliance type.
  2. Select a product from the list and click the Delete button. You will not be asked to confirm the delete, so make sure you actually want to delete the product before clicking the button.
  3. Click the Close button.

Assigning computer groups to limit the scope of a software license

You can use computer groups to limit the scope of a software license. These are groups that you've already defined in the database using Management Suite's software license monitoring (SLM) tool. For example, if you want a particular license to apply only to computers in a New York office, you can do so by creating a query and then using a computer group to reference it.

Similar to the mappings in the software look-up table, DTS needs to know how to map the name that represents the computer group in the license import file to the actual computer group you've defined in the database. The names do not have to be the same; you just need to set up a mapping.

  1. In the DTS tree view, right-click the Software License Import folder and select Assign Computer Groups. A tree view appears listing all of the computer groups you've defined inside SLM.
  2. Right-click the computer group name and select Add Value. Enter a name for the value. A particular value can only be assigned to one computer group at a time. However, a computer group can have many values assigned to it.

Once you've configured the mapping, you must also configure a column in a particular product's license import file to point to Software License.Computer Group. The license will then be assigned to that group.