About MLS
It is an excel file provided by Microsoft, that includes all purchasing history of Microsoft Licenses by the organization, usually spanning 10-15 years. It includes only Volume Licensing transactions only (i.e., Enterprise Agreement, Open Licenses etc.). Hence, it does not include information or purchases outside Volume Licensing – such as Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) purchases, Full Packaged Product (FPP) purchases and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) licenses.
It includes 8 tabs. Information on the 8 tabs is given below
SAM Manager challenges
As MLS is considered usually to be the source of truth for all entitlements purchased, they need to be uploaded to ServiceNow SAM solution in a reliable manner.
Some of the challenges faced include:
- SAM Manager needs to manually read the Microsoft License Statements and then enter the entitlements in ServiceNow SAM, taking a lot of time
2. A lot of error handling needs to be performed by the SAM Manager manually such as
a.Expired agreement may be added
b.Incorrect PPN may be added
c. Incomplete Licenses may be added : Only software assurance or step up licenses without a base license
d.MLS Import may lead to incorrect core licenses to be applied as the transaction quantity assumes core packs being applied are equal to the licenses purchased. for ex. if 8 SQL Server core licenses are purchased, it means 8 core packs of SQL Server licenses are purchased which is in fact 8*2=16 core licenses
ServiceNow SAM support for MLS Import
Currently, ServiceNow SAM supports two bulk import options namely Standard Import document and Microsoft License Statement Import. To read about bulk import through a standard template, please read here
ServiceNow released support for MLS Import in the San Diego Release, and provides the following
- Support Import of Microsoft License Statement to create Entitlements and contracts
2. Error handling for incorrect and insufficient Entitlements on MLS
3. Provide mechanism to rectify Import Errors on MLS
To understand details about MLS please view the video below, and read through the docs here
MLS Support Video on ServiceNow SAM
Steps while Importing MLS to ServiceNow
FAQs
- Who should ideally perform an MLS Import?
Upload of MLS statement to ServiceNow Software Asset Management Solution is advised to be performed by a person knowledgeable in Microsoft Licensing. Generally, MLS Imports are performed only once to set a baseline of entitlements and thereby additional entitlement imports could use the bulk Import feature.
2. Do I need to wait for MLS to complete upload, to work on other activities on ServiceNow SAM?
No, MLS Import happens asynchronously. You can continue your other work, once MLS Import is completed you will be notified on the SAM workspace under Notifications
3. If the MLS file size is > 5MB, the system throws an error. How can I remediate?
The default file has max 5MB size The user can change system property glide.scriptable.excel.max_file_size to a value bigger than the file size.
4. What is found under Review Import Errors button?
- Import Errors- to review and correct Import errors such as PPN missing or duplicate
- Relate Entitlements- to link base entitlements to entitlements just have Software assurance or step up
5. Is there a way to delete MLS Imported entitlements during back out?
Yes, filter using the source= MLS on the Entitlement list view
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