--- sourceDocument: Yokohama IT Asset Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/yokohama/it-asset-management Release : - yokohama ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Yokohama IT Asset Management ft:clusterId : - itam bundleId : - itam workflow : - Technology --- # Software models and Software entitlements # Software models and Software entitlements {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Yokohama * * Updated January 30, 2025 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 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 models and Software entitlements Software models in ServiceNow represent profiles of purchased software, including publisher details, version, and discovery maps. Software entitlements link these models to the purchased license rights, enabling effective license management. This helps ServiceNow customers track software usage, compliance, and lifecycle phases for better asset management. Show full answer Show less ## Software Models Software models store publisher information and allow linking multiple entitlements to a single model. Deleting a software model also removes related downgrade rights records. Models can be created manually or automatically based on software installations. They integrate with Software Product Lifecycle data to track software phases such as General Availability or End of Support, which can be visualized in Technology Portfolio Management timelines. ## Software Product Lifecycle and Reporting The Software Product Lifecycle table tracks lifecycle phases, types, dates, and risk levels for software products. Active lifecycle phases are shown on TPM timelines, while inactive phases are hidden to tailor visibility. The Software Product Lifecycle report informs customers about software nearing end-of-life or support phases, supporting proactive management. The Software Lifecycle Report consolidates lifecycle phase data to avoid duplication and links software installations with lifecycle stages. It includes key columns such as current and upcoming lifecycle phases, their start dates, and software model owners, helping customers monitor software status and plan accordingly. ## Software Entitlements Software entitlements record license terms and track software rights linked to publisher data. They enable ServiceNow customers to: * Identify and remediate license overuse by removing unauthorized installations or purchasing more licenses. * Optimize license purchases by reducing unnecessary future licenses if usage is below entitlement. Entitlements can be created in workspace or imported in bulk. Importing uses Publisher Part Numbers (PPNs) to match entitlements with existing software models. If PPNs or discovery maps are missing or conflicting, the system can create custom values to maintain data integrity. Special considerations include: * Microsoft entitlements with contractual license durations require start and end dates. * The step-up license type is exclusive to Microsoft products. ## Automatic Creation and Maintenance Software models are automatically generated for software installations when no existing model is found. Customers can replace custom PPNs and discovery maps with official Software Asset Management Content Service values to ensure consistent propagation of updates to entitlements and models. A software model is a profile of the software that you've purchased, including information about the publisher, version, and discovery map. Software entitlements are used to relate the software model to the rights that you've purchased. ## Software models {#software-models-and-entitlements__section_xcy_24q_l3b} Software models are used to record publisher information and create a profile. You can link multiple entitlements to one software model. If you delete a software model, all records related to the software model, in the Downgrade Rights \[samp_sw_downgrade_model and samp_downgrade_model\] tables, are automatically deleted. For detailed information on downgrade rights, see [Downgrade Rights](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kBuX_Fw7VYLA~75b95Ilpg "The concept of downgrading licenses is built into the Software Asset Management plugin feature. Downgrading rights is the process of having acquired the rights to the latest version of software but using the rights to license earlier versions of the same software."). For details on manually creating software models, see [Create software models in workspace](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Fdy16t1aaBEZbPbYh0yCNQ "Create a software model in the Software Asset Workspace to add product details that are used to connect software rights you purchased with software installations discovered on your system."). For details on automatic creation of software models, see [Automatic creation of software models](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/4PqZv~~c1WRooYJbB9_3Qg "Software models are automatically created for software installations if one doesn't already exist."). ## Software Product Lifecycle report {#software-models-and-entitlements__section_erz_knw_5hb} You can also track a software lifecycle phase for use with the [Technology Portfolio Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=technology-portfolio-management&version=yokohama&pubname=yokohama-application-portfolio-management&ft:locale=en-US). The Software Product Lifecycle \[sam_sw_product_lifecycle\] table holds the information of the software product, its lifecycle type (internal or external), full version, lifecycle phases, start date of the phase, and the risk. The Content active column in the Software Product lifecycle \[sam_sw_product_lifecycle\] table is set to the value true by the Software Asset Management content service if the lifecycle records are valid. If you do not want a lifecycle phase to be rendered on the Technology Portfolio Management (TPM) timeline, then set the Active column to false. For example, you can have General Availability, End of Extended Support, and End of Support lifecycle phases as three records for Oracle DB Server software model in the Software Product Lifecycles list. However, if you do not want General Availability phase to be shown on the timeline, you can clear the Active check box in the Software Product Lifecycle form for that lifecycle phase record. As a result, the timeline starts with the End of Support phase. Although the lifecycle phase record exists for the software product lifecycle, the lifecycle data will not be rendered on the timeline. Because only active lifecycle records are considered and plotted in the TPM timeline. View the Software Product Lifecycle report to be informed about the products nearing end-of-life, end-of-support, and end-of-extended support. View the report by navigating to ReportsView/Run. The report is based on the scheduled job, SAM - Generate Data For Software Lifecycle Report. ## Software Lifecycle Report {#software-models-and-entitlements__section_ngg_dmy_ywb} The Software Lifecycle Report \[sam_sw_product_lifecycle_report\] table calculates the current and upcoming lifecycle phases from the lifecycle phases mentioned in the Software Product Lifecycle \[sam_sw_product_lifecyle\] table. For records with the same publisher, product, version, full version, and edition, there's a single record for different lifecycle phases. This helps in avoiding duplicate software installation count for each lifecycle phase. You can export lifecycles from the Software Installation \[cmdb-sam-sw-install\] table. The software installation records are linked to lifecycles via the Installs associated to lifecycle column in the Software Installation \[cmdb-sam-sw-install\] table. Five new columns have been added to Software Lifecycle Report \[sam_sw_product_lifecycle_report\] table:{#software-models-and-entitlements__table_vbn_2my_ywb__entry__2} | New column label and name | Description | |-|-| | Current phase \[current_lifecycle_phase\] | The lifecycle phase that is currently underway. | | Current lifecycle phase start date \[current_lifecycle_phase_start_date\] | The start date of the current lifecycle phase. | | Upcoming lifecycle phase \[upcoming_lifecycle_phase\] | The lifecyle phase that is soon coming up. | | Upcoming lifecycle phase start date \[upcoming_lifecycle_phase_start_date\] | The start date of the upcoming lifecycle phase. | | Owners \[owners\] | The person responsible for the software model. | [Table 1. New columns in the Software Lifecycle Report table] {#software-models-and-entitlements__table_vbn_2my_ywb} Note: The lifecycle phase column is removed from the Software Lifecycle Report \[sam_sw_product_lifecycle_report\] table. ## Software entitlements {#software-models-and-entitlements__section_qdq_q4q_l3b} To track the software rights for your software, create a software entitlement that can be linked back to the publisher information. A software entitlement records the terms of your software license. By using software entitlements, you can: * Rapidly address if license allotment has been exceeded and return to compliant status by removing unauthorized software or ordering more licenses. * If the license allotment is not being used completely, lower the number of future licenses purchased. {#software-models-and-entitlements__ul_gwx_j5r_hhb} For example, a company purchases a software entitlement for 100 rights. From the software entitlement, 100 employee or machine allocations are created that are rightfully assigned a license. If Discovery finds the software installed on 200 machines, the software asset manager must identify the employees or machines that have the software installed without a license, and remediate the situation. For details on creating software entitlements, see [Create entitlements in workspace](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/sGjH84C0Yb6tfKXRtV~R~Q "Create entitlements in the Software Asset Workspace to enter your license details and allocate purchased software rights to users or devices."). ## Import software entitlements {#software-models-and-entitlements__section_lnp_jgg_nhb} You can import bulk software entitlements at one go. If a Publisher Part Number (PPN) is specified for the entitlements that you import, the PPN is matched to the PPN in the Content Service Library and the system finds the existing software model linked to it. Note: If a Publisher Part Number not found error occurs during import of the software entitlement (product, publisher, version, edition, platform, and language) but a discovery map is found, then a [custom publisher part number](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/0QpoiLdd30_VZo4~mmwedA "You can add a custom part number to resolve an entitlement import error that occurs when a part number does not exist in the Software Library.") is created after you manually open the record and fix the import error. If a discovery map is not found, you can create a discovery map to be associated with the publisher part number. If the import spreadsheet contains a conflicting (or missing) PPN, the PPN value is set to the value in the existing product definition, when available. Note: If you import a batch of Microsoft entitlements and the License Duration field is set to Contractual, you must specify both a start and end date. The step-up license type is only available if the publisher is Microsoft. If you try to specify another publisher, an error message is displayed. * **[Automatic creation of software models](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/4PqZv~~c1WRooYJbB9_3Qg)** Software models are automatically created for software installations if one doesn't already exist. * **[Custom publisher part numbers (PPN)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/tlSVBiC0PBi5JjAoAZISHQ)** Propagate changes to entitlements and software models by replacing your custom PPNs and custom discovery maps (DMAPs) with the Software Asset Management Content Service PPNs and DMAPs. *[\>]: and then