What is the difference between Software Model and Software Discovery Model?

[BoHyun Jung]

I have two questions.

1. I understand that 'Software Discovery Model' imports data through Discovery.

how does 'Software Model' data fill up?

2. what is the difference between Software Model and Software Discovery Model?

[AnveshKumar M]

Hi @BoHyun Jung 

Software discovery models can be used to help normalize the software you own by analyzing and classifying models to reduce duplication.

A software model is a specific version or configuration of software.

A software discovery model is a model created when Discovery runs and identifies software.

The ServiceNow platform uses any of the following field combinations to match the new software discovery model to an existing software model.

• Display Name, Publisher, and Version
• Display Name and Version if the Publisher field is empty
• Display Name only if the Publisher and Version fields are empty

When analyzing version numbers, the ServiceNow platform always searches for an exact match first, but rounds down to a major version number if an exact match is not found.

For example, if no match is found for version number 8.0.4, but version 8.0 is found, then version 8.0 is used in the Software model field.

You can refer the documentation at,

https://docs.servicenow.com/en-US/bundle/vancouver-it-service-management/page/product/asset-manageme...

Please mark my answer helpful and accept as solution if it helped 👍✅

[Harish Bainsla]

Hi 

1. • Software Discovery Model: This term typically refers to a process where data is discovered and imported into the CMDB using ServiceNow Discovery. It primarily involves identifying and tracking software installations and configurations on devices within your IT environment. Data filling in this context involves the automatic discovery of software instances, their relationships to hardware assets, and various software-related attributes (e.g., software name, version, licensing information) based on the information gathered during discovery scans.

   • Software Model: The term "Software Model" can have various interpretations depending on the context. In the broader sense, it may refer to how software data is structured and modeled within your CMDB. The data filling in this context involves the manual or automated population of software records in the CMDB, which may not be exclusive to Discovery. It can include manually created records, imports from third-party sources, or integrations with other software inventory systems. In essence, it's the process of managing software data within your CMDB beyond what's discovered through ServiceNow Discovery.

2. Difference Between Software Model and Software Discovery Model:

   • Software Model:

     • General Software Data: The term "Software Model" generally refers to how software data is organized, structured, and managed within the CMDB. It encompasses all software-related records, including those manually created, imported from other sources, or discovered through ServiceNow Discovery.
     • Manual Data Entry: It includes records created manually, such as software products, licensing information, and relationships with other CIs (e.g., hardware assets).
     • Integrations: It may involve data integration with third-party software asset management tools or software catalog databases to maintain an up-to-date repository of software assets.

   • Software Discovery Model:

     • Discovery-Centric: The term "Software Discovery Model" focuses on software data discovered and imported into the CMDB using ServiceNow Discovery specifically.
     • Automated Discovery: It is predominantly driven by automated scans and processes that identify software installations on devices across your IT environment.
     • Relationships: It emphasizes the relationships between software instances and hardware assets and tracks software-specific details such as version, license compliance, and usage.

https://youtu.be/jc_HP9wM2EI?si=eNzwTX3kQmNjDayu