SAM Foundation to SAM Pro migrations steps

[amit_kishore]

Hi All,

We have a customer requirement to migrate from SAM Foundation to SAM Pro. The customer currently has both Microsoft and Adobe (SaaS + on‑prem) setups, and they would like to understand the technical steps involved in this migration.

Could you please provide a list of prerequisites and the technical steps required from a migration perspective?

Regards,

Amit Kishore

[pr8172510 · Accepted solution]

Hey @amit_kishore ,

Official ServiceNow Documentation & Training
you can also refer to this official ServiceNow Ask a Ranger Playlist For this
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkGSnjw5y2U4zdMtBnktGnnoH_higJEN0

Part 1: Prerequisites & Preparation (Before You Start)
Skipping these steps is the biggest reason migrations hit issues later.

Confirm Licensing & Activation:

SAM Pro is a paid module, unlike SAM Foundation . Before you do anything, check with your ServiceNow account team to ensure your subscription includes SAM Pro. You will need the sn_sam_pro plugin activated on your instance .

Choose Your Discovery Source:

You need reliable data in the cmdb_sam_sw_install table. Foundation often gets by with basic data, but Pro needs accuracy. Confirm your discovery sources (ServiceNow Discovery, SCCM, Tanium, etc.)  are correctly populating this table with Publisher, Product Name, and Version.

Clean Your Data (Crucial for Compliance):

If your Foundation data has gaps (like missing assigned_to fields for user-based licenses), your Pro compliance numbers will be wrong. Review your existing software models and installation records for obvious errors before migrating.

Part 2: Step-by-Step Migration Plan
This outlines the technical sequence you should follow.

Step 1: Activate the SAM Pro Plugin

Action: Navigate to System Applications > All Available Applications and search for "SAM Professional" .

Goal: Install the plugin. This adds the License Workbench, advanced dashboards, and the necessary tables for Pro.

Step 2: Configure the Content Service (Crucial)

Action: Go to Software Asset Management > Setup > Content Service and opt-in.

Why: The Content Service is the engine that provides normalized publisher and product definitions, as well as critical Publisher Part Numbers (PPNs) . PPNs are what allow SAM Pro to automatically match your discovered software to your purchased entitlements.

Step 3: Migrate / Build Your Software Models
Foundation may have simple models. Pro requires a more structured approach for accurate reconciliation .

Action: For major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, the Content Service often creates Software Discovery Models automatically once the data is normalized.

Manual Check: Go to Software Asset Management > Software Models. Ensure your critical products are present and have the correct License Metric (e.g., "Per User" vs. "Per Device").

Step 4: Import Entitlements (Contracts & Purchases)

Important Note: Discovery cannot detect license entitlements. It only knows what is installed, not what you legally own .

Action: Obtain your actual purchase data (contracts, invoices) from the customer. Use the Import Entitlements module to load this data into the alm_license table . The standard import template is available there.

Key Field: The Publisher Part Number (PPN) is the most reliable field for matching an entitlement to a specific software model .

Step 5: Run the SAM Normalization & Reconciliation Jobs

Action:

Execute "Normalize Software Installations" to ensure all installs are correctly linked to the new Pro models.
Navigate to the License Workbench (SAM > License Workbench). Run the Reconciliation for your key publishers (Microsoft, Adobe).
Goal: This final step calculates your compliance position. The workbench will show you your "License Balance" (Purchased vs. Installed).

Part 3: Post-Migration & Recommended Resources
What to Do After Activating SAM Pro
1. Set Up SaaS Integrations (for Microsoft 365 / Adobe Cloud):

For SaaS products, you must bring in usage data from the vendor directly via API. ServiceNow has Integration Hub spokes for Microsoft Graph API and Adobe Admin Console . This pulls user subscription data into SAM Pro.

2. Review Roles: The migration might introduce new SAM Pro roles. Ensure your team has the correct access, such as sn_sam_analyst or sn_sam_manager.

Official ServiceNow Documentation & Training
you can also refer to this official ServiceNow Ask a Ranger Playlist For this 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkGSnjw5y2U4zdMtBnktGnnoH_higJEN0

[pr8172510 · Accepted solution]

Hey @amit_kishore ,

Official ServiceNow Documentation & Training
you can also refer to this official ServiceNow Ask a Ranger Playlist For this
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkGSnjw5y2U4zdMtBnktGnnoH_higJEN0

Part 1: Prerequisites & Preparation (Before You Start)
Skipping these steps is the biggest reason migrations hit issues later.

Confirm Licensing & Activation:

SAM Pro is a paid module, unlike SAM Foundation . Before you do anything, check with your ServiceNow account team to ensure your subscription includes SAM Pro. You will need the sn_sam_pro plugin activated on your instance .

Choose Your Discovery Source:

You need reliable data in the cmdb_sam_sw_install table. Foundation often gets by with basic data, but Pro needs accuracy. Confirm your discovery sources (ServiceNow Discovery, SCCM, Tanium, etc.)  are correctly populating this table with Publisher, Product Name, and Version.

Clean Your Data (Crucial for Compliance):

If your Foundation data has gaps (like missing assigned_to fields for user-based licenses), your Pro compliance numbers will be wrong. Review your existing software models and installation records for obvious errors before migrating.

Part 2: Step-by-Step Migration Plan
This outlines the technical sequence you should follow.

Step 1: Activate the SAM Pro Plugin

Action: Navigate to System Applications > All Available Applications and search for "SAM Professional" .

Goal: Install the plugin. This adds the License Workbench, advanced dashboards, and the necessary tables for Pro.

Step 2: Configure the Content Service (Crucial)

Action: Go to Software Asset Management > Setup > Content Service and opt-in.

Why: The Content Service is the engine that provides normalized publisher and product definitions, as well as critical Publisher Part Numbers (PPNs) . PPNs are what allow SAM Pro to automatically match your discovered software to your purchased entitlements.

Step 3: Migrate / Build Your Software Models
Foundation may have simple models. Pro requires a more structured approach for accurate reconciliation .

Action: For major publishers like Microsoft and Adobe, the Content Service often creates Software Discovery Models automatically once the data is normalized.

Manual Check: Go to Software Asset Management > Software Models. Ensure your critical products are present and have the correct License Metric (e.g., "Per User" vs. "Per Device").

Step 4: Import Entitlements (Contracts & Purchases)

Important Note: Discovery cannot detect license entitlements. It only knows what is installed, not what you legally own .

Action: Obtain your actual purchase data (contracts, invoices) from the customer. Use the Import Entitlements module to load this data into the alm_license table . The standard import template is available there.

Key Field: The Publisher Part Number (PPN) is the most reliable field for matching an entitlement to a specific software model .

Step 5: Run the SAM Normalization & Reconciliation Jobs

Action:

Execute "Normalize Software Installations" to ensure all installs are correctly linked to the new Pro models.
Navigate to the License Workbench (SAM > License Workbench). Run the Reconciliation for your key publishers (Microsoft, Adobe).
Goal: This final step calculates your compliance position. The workbench will show you your "License Balance" (Purchased vs. Installed).

Part 3: Post-Migration & Recommended Resources
What to Do After Activating SAM Pro
1. Set Up SaaS Integrations (for Microsoft 365 / Adobe Cloud):

For SaaS products, you must bring in usage data from the vendor directly via API. ServiceNow has Integration Hub spokes for Microsoft Graph API and Adobe Admin Console . This pulls user subscription data into SAM Pro.

2. Review Roles: The migration might introduce new SAM Pro roles. Ensure your team has the correct access, such as sn_sam_analyst or sn_sam_manager.

Official ServiceNow Documentation & Training
you can also refer to this official ServiceNow Ask a Ranger Playlist For this 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkGSnjw5y2U4zdMtBnktGnnoH_higJEN0

[Tanushree Maiti · Accepted solution]

Hi @amit_kishore 

You will get step by step instruction with screen shot from here:

Software asset management Implementation 

https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/it-service-management/software-asset-management-foundation-...