Tutorial in how to create software models, and manage software when you do NOT have SAM professional

[TrineT]

Hi there, can you help me find tutorial in how to create software models, entitlements etc. and manage software when you do NOT have SAM professional. I have the Software Asset Workspace and the software asset management foundation pluginn installed but NOT SAM pro.

[BillMartin]

@TrineT 

Before getting into the “how,” it’s important to be upfront that managing software without SAM Professional is generally not recommended, especially if the goal is accurate compliance or optimization. The reason is simple: without SAM Pro, there is no automated normalization, reconciliation, or publisher-specific licensing logic. That means most results will be manual, harder to maintain over time, and more prone to data quality issues. SAM Foundation works best as a visibility and governance layer, not as a full software license management solution.

That said, if SAM Pro is not an option and you need to work with what you have, you can still manage software in a limited and controlled way using SAM Foundation and Software Asset Workspace.

One key prerequisite is understanding the CMDB first. Software Asset Management is built on top of the CMDB, and the SAM data model is part of the CMDB itself. Software models, entitlements, installations, and relationships all depend on CMDB classes and relationships. If CMDB fundamentals are not clear, SAM configuration will quickly become inconsistent and difficult to trust. This CSDM Foundation Domain reference explains how product and software models fit into the CMDB data model:
https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-servicenow-platform/page/product/csdm-implementation/c...

With SAM Foundation (no SAM Pro), you can manually create software models, define entitlements, and relate software installations to devices and users through the CMDB. You can also use the Software Asset Workspace for basic tracking and visibility. This approach is suitable for high-level governance or audit preparation, but it requires discipline because almost everything is manual.

Before configuring anything in detail, it’s strongly recommended to review the Software Asset Management – Process Workshop. This helps you decide what should be modeled, what can realistically be managed without SAM Pro, and how SAM fits into your broader asset and CMDB processes:
https://mynow.servicenow.com/now/best-practices/assets/software-asset-management-process-workshop

For learning, ServiceNow University provides a recommended CMDB-to-SAM learning path. You can find this in the ServiceNow Learning Paths infographic, slide 19, which clearly shows the suggested order for learning CMDB, CSDM, and SAM:
https://www.servicenow.com/content/dam/servicenow-assets/public/en-us/doc-type/infographic/learning-...

A practical way to proceed is to start small, focus only on your most critical software, keep entitlement metrics simple, and ensure CMDB relationships are accurate. If you want to share which publisher or software you’re trying to manage, or whether the requirement is audit-driven or operational, I’m happy to help with more specific guidance.

If this helps, feel free to like the post or mark it as the solution so others can benefit as well.