What field do you use for historical software install dates?

pavan Punna
Tera Contributor

a month ago

Hi everyone,
Our SAM team needs to find the historical installation dates of software to validate against older vendor invoices (e.g., verifying if a user installed an app in 2024 vs 2026). The  install_date  field is mostly empty since discovery tools (like Tanium) don’t pull historical registry dates out of the box.
I initially suggested using the  sys_created_on  (Created) date on the  cmdb_sam_sw_install  table. However, we found this is unreliable because if an endpoint drops off the network or misses a scan, ServiceNow deletes the install record. When the machine is scanned again later, it creates a brand new record, resetting the Created date to “today.”
Since we can’t rely on  install_date  or  sys_created_on , what fields or data points are you using to accurately compare installed software against historical invoice dates? Are there any out-of-the-box ServiceNow fields we might be overlooking for this use case?

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pr8172510
Tera Guru

a month ago

Hey @pavan Punna,

 You're right that neither install_date (often empty) nor sys_created_on (resets on rediscovery) works for historical validation against old invoices.

 

the cmdb_sam_sw_install table is designed as an operational snapshot table, not a permanent historical audit log . fields like install_date, install_location, and uninstall_string "may require additional configuration of a discovery application" ServiceNow itself doesn't populate them. Your discovery tool has to send that data .

sys_created_on gets recreated when records are re-inserted  which is exactly what you're seeing .

the cmdb_sam_sw_install table is meant for:

  • Reconciliation calculations (matching installs to entitlements) 

  • License consumption tracking (not historical auditing) 

  • Active install management - only one record per install is kept active, duplicates get marked inactive 

ServiceNow acknowledges there's no built-in field that reliably preserves historical installation dates. The official guidance is organizations should rely on :

  • Discovery source historical data (SCCM DB, Tanium archives, etc.)

  • External inventory systems

  • Snapshot/archive strategies (build your own)

  • Custom historical tracking (add fields, enable auditing)

  1. For current compliance: Use the cmdb_sam_sw_install table as designed - for active licenses 

  2. For historical audit: Implement a monthly snapshot schedule using a custom table 

  3. For last used date: Look at samp_sw_usage table - OOTB discovery doesn't populate last_used on the install table 

  4. For better data: Configure your discovery tool (Tanium, SCCM) to map registry install dates to a custom field 

There's no OOTB field that does what you need reliably.

 




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