Developing a Microsoft estimated license position

The diagram below details the recommended approach for developing estimated license positions within License Optimizer with additional guidance for developing Microsoft estimated license positions. Click the highlighted sections in the diagram to access the related section of the help.

Add Install-based Inventory

Import, or manually create install-based inventory

Check Software Teaching for new or unrecognized products

Run recognition

 

 

For Microsoft, check:

  • Virtual Machine-to-host relationships
  • Cluster configurations
  • Core counts and CPU counts
  • Unknown Editions

 

 

Is install-based inventory complete?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add usage-based inventory

Import, or manually create, usage-based inventory

 

 

 

 

 

 

For CALs, manually add the CAL count in the Unassigned to OSIs tab on the Software page

 

For MSDN, see MSDN Inventory

Is usage-based inventory complete?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add License data

Import, or manually create, entitlement

Match entitlement to DSL

Check metrics and paths
(Downgrades, maintenance, etc)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is entitlement complete?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Run reconciliation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Data Summary

 

 

 

 

 

 

License Optimizer can assign the correct license to a software item only if it has matched it to a single item in the Definitive Software Library and so knows exactly what the product is, and so which license can be applied. For SQL Server, discovery tools often can't determine the edition that is installed, and so License Optimizer can't allocate the appropriate license.
Watch a related video (4:57)