# Managing Software Products

ASM Core classifies Software Products as Configuration Items, one of the main items in the CMDB.  You can also manage software products as follows:

* [**execute transactions**](https://docs.alemba.com/asm/asm-hermes/use-asm/using-asm-core/managing-your-cmdb/managing-your-assets/managing-transactions) on software products (for example to order, allocate or reserve a quantity of items of the software product)
* [**specify how the software product may be used**](https://docs.alemba.com/asm/asm-hermes/use-asm/using-asm-core/managing-your-cmdb/managing-your-assets/specifying-usage-criteria), that is to which other CMDB items the software product can be allocated or reserved
* [**set up thresholds**](https://docs.alemba.com/asm/asm-hermes/use-asm/using-asm-core/managing-your-cmdb/managing-your-assets/thresholds-explorer-option) to log calls or requests if the quantity of items of the software product (that is the number of licenses you have available for a particular software product) is running low and you need to order more licenses

### Adding a Software Product <a href="#adding" id="adding"></a>

1. Display the **Software Product Details** window in any of the following ways:&#x20;
   * Select **Menu** and then **New**. From the submenu, select **Software Product**.  If Software Product does not appear then:
   * From the submenu, select **CMDB Item...** and select the item type. Use this option if the item type does not appear in the **New** submenu, you want to create an item from a template, or create a subtype of the items listed as default.
   * Use the **Add New** button in the CMDB Item Search window.
   * You can also create a new CMDB item by cloning an existing one.
2. In the **Software Product Details** window, complete the details.
3. Link the product to other CMDB items.
4. [Specify how the product can be used](https://docs.alemba.com/asm/asm-hermes/use-asm/using-asm-core/managing-your-cmdb/managing-your-assets/specifying-usage-criteria).
5. Use the options in the [Explorer](#the) pane to carry out additional tasks.
6. Select **Ok** to save your changes, or **Save New** to save the details and open a blank details window in which you can enter the details for another new software product. Provide the Change Reasons if prompted to do so.

### Specifying Use of Software Products <a href="#specifyi" id="specifyi"></a>

You can specify the CMDB items with which a software product may be used. For example, you may define the usage criteria on a software license for MS SQL Server to indicate that it should only be installed on Servers.

1. Scroll down to the bottom of the window and select the **Usage Criteria** tab from the Linking Pane.
2. Specify the usage criteria.
3. Select **Ok** to save your changes, or **Save New** to save the details and open a blank details window in which you can enter the details for another new software product. Provide the Change Reasons if prompted to do so.

### Software Product Details Explorer Options <a href="#the" id="the"></a>

The Explorer pane appears on the left-hand side of the Software Product Details window. It contains options or links to other windows and functionality that relate to the software product.

The following options are available:

<table><thead><tr><th width="206">Select</th><th>To...</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Agreements</td><td>view all the agreements where the software product is specified in the agreement selection criteria</td></tr><tr><td>Availability</td><td>view or set Availability Settings for the software product</td></tr><tr><td>Impact Criteria</td><td>specify the criteria that will be used to apply an outage to a CMDB item when one or more CMDB items impacting this item are currently experiencing an outage</td></tr><tr><td>Clone</td><td>create a CMDB item by copying the details of an existing one, and updating the details as required</td></tr><tr><td>Object</td><td>attach objects or files from Windows applications to the current software product</td></tr><tr><td>Attributes</td><td>type data into categories set up in the Administration module</td></tr><tr><td>Form</td><td>capture general, non-reportable, non-searchable information about the software product</td></tr><tr><td>Audit</td><td>view an audit trail of the changes made to the details of the software product</td></tr><tr><td>Depreciation</td><td>view the depreciation information for the software product</td></tr><tr><td>Transactions</td><td>view or <strong>perform transactions</strong> on a software product. The Transactions window accessed through the Transactions explorer option records all transactions performed on the software product.</td></tr><tr><td>Transaction History</td><td>search on transactions added to a software product</td></tr><tr><td>Thresholds</td><td>set up thresholds that will create a call, request, or notification if the number of software products meets the criteria defined for the threshold</td></tr><tr><td>Linking</td><td>view a graphical view of the other CMDB items which are linked to the software product</td></tr><tr><td>Components</td><td>view a graphical view of the components for a container software product</td></tr><tr><td>Call Search</td><td>display the Call Search window, where you can view all open calls logged against the software product</td></tr><tr><td>Request Search</td><td>displays the Request Search window, where you can view open requests for the software product</td></tr><tr><td>External Resources</td><td>view external resources such as directory server users linked to the software product</td></tr><tr><td>Discrepancy Reports</td><td>display the outstanding <strong>CMDB Resource Reports</strong> (reports to be reviewed) linked to the software product</td></tr><tr><td>Version History</td><td>view the history for the software product</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Searching for a Software Product

You can search for a software product in the same way as you would search for any CMDB item, selecting **Software Product** in the **CMDB Item Type** field in the CMDB Search Criteria pane.

### Updating a Software Product

You update software product details in the same way as you would update any CMDB item.

### Deleting a Software Product

You delete a software product in the same way as you would delete any CMDB item.

You can restore deleted software products if you wish.