--- sourceDocument: Australia Asset Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/it-asset-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Asset Management ft:clusterId : - itam bundleId : - itam workflow : - Technology --- # Content updates for Software Asset Management # Content updates for Software Asset Management {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Software Asset Management Content updates for Software Asset Management The Software Asset Management (SAM) Content Service provides bi-weekly content updates to your ServiceNow instance. These updates are designed to help normalize and maintain accurate software asset data by refreshing various elements related to software products and licensing. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * Updates cover a wide range of content types, including categories, discovery maps, normalization suggestions, product classifications, license exception rules, product names and types, publishers, suite definitions, software model life cycles, and Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) normalization rules. * Software models are not updated when only a publisher's name changes; however, if a product moves between publishers, the software model is updated accordingly. * Product types can be updated at the edition level using the Custom Product License Exception Rules table. Non-licensable editions are automatically updated if defined in the relevant license exception rules tables. * For exceptions where a licensable edition must be recognized as such despite being marked non-licensable, customers should submit a case with supporting documentation to the Content Service team for review. * Two scheduled jobs manage updates: * **SAM - Apply latest content changes:** pulls updated content from staging to target columns, updates related records, and propagates changes to transactional data. * **SAM - Create suites for a software model:** updates suite components and life cycle changes to software models. * Automated content updates are enabled by default on software models via the "Allow automated content updates" flag, which can be cleared to opt out of updates for specific models. * Life-cycle data added via content updates cannot be deleted but can be deactivated; such data is marked with the source as ServiceNow. * Reports like "Software Models with deactivated discovery maps" help identify software models pointing to inactive discovery maps. * The **SAM Content Audit** table allows customers to review changes made to the software library through content updates. * Content updates do not affect custom products or custom discovery maps. ## Practical Considerations for ServiceNow Customers * Regular content updates ensure your software asset data remains accurate and aligned with ServiceNow's software library. * If your organization manages custom products or discovery maps, note that these are not impacted by content updates, preserving your custom configurations. * Use the available reports and audit tables to monitor content changes and manage software models effectively. * For specific licensing exceptions or disputes about licensability at the edition level, engage with the Content Service team providing the necessary documentation. * Control automated updates on software models by toggling the "Allow automated content updates" flag, allowing you to maintain manual control where needed. The Software Asset Management Content Service provides content updates to your instance twice every week that you can use to normalize your data. The following types of content can be updated as part of a content update: * Categories * Discovery maps * Normalization suggestions * Product classifications * Product license exception rules * Product names * Product types * Publishers * Suite definitions * Software model life cycles * Software model suggestions * Custom software product suggestions * Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) normalization rule {#sam-content-updates__ul_j21_bhy_njb} Note: Software models aren't updated when a publisher's name is updated as part of the content updates. The software model isn't updated because its display name is removed from the core company's reference. However, if a product moves to a different publisher, then the software model gets updated during content updates when the product goes from one core company to the other core company. The publisher name is updated for new software models but not for existing software models. Product types can be updated on a product's edition level using the Custom Product License Exception Rules \[samp_cust_prod_lic_excep_rules\] table. For cases where certain editions are non-licensable, the product type gets updated automatically if the exception rule is defined in the Product License Exception Rules \[samp_prod_lic_excep_rules\] table or the Custom Product License Exception Rules \[samp_cust_prod_lic_excep_rules\] table. However, if a product is non-licensable, an exception rule can't be created for ​a licensable edition. For this case, you must raise a case with the Content Service team​ with supporting documentation and the team reviews ​whether the edition must be tagged as licensable. The SAM - Apply latest content changes scheduled job runs and processes the content updates. After the content download is complete, the updated content is pulled from the staging columns to the corresponding target columns. Related downstream records are also updated. A query runs and identifies what transactional data in your instance must be updated with the new content. After the changes are identified, the changes are then propagated to your instance. Another scheduled job, SAM - Create suites for a software model, runs and propagates suite component and life cycle changes to your software models. If you don't want content changes applied to a software model, then you can clear the Allow automated content updates flag on the Software Model form. By default, the flag is selected to enable automated content updates to all software models. Note: If a content update adds life-cycle data, it can't be deleted from the software model, but you can deactivate it. Any life-cycle data that is added as part of a content update has the source set to Servicenow. Use the Software Models with deactivated discovery maps report to show software models that are pointing to any deactivated discovery maps. To see the changes that have been made to the software library, review the SAM Content Audit \[sam_content_audit\] table. Note: Content updates don't have an impact on any custom products or custom discovery maps. For more information on how to send your content to ServiceNow, see [Enable sharing information with Software Asset Management content service](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/7BZHqzrF0PNi27tiK_x67Q "Opt in to share unnormalized software installation data from your organization with Software Asset Management Content Service. You can opt out at any time.").