Software asset management typically faces two problems. One relates to information provided by applications running on devices are not standardized, so detecting and identifying the correct software becomes difficult. The other relates to the vast number of applications involved and many of these are not relevant to licensing by virtue of the fact that they include maintenance and background processes such as hotfixes, service packs and drivers.

The heart of AppClarity is the Catalog. It consists of a database of thousands of applications and their characteristic signatures so that when these applications are discovered on the network, they can be easily and automatically identified and organized into products.

Catalog updates and customization

From the catalog node, you can view updates from the last 50 days.

To view catalog updates:

1. Click the Data Capture icon to the left of the Console.
2. In the Data Capture navigation tree, click Catalog to expand it.
3. Select Updates. The updates are detailed in the main panel with the following columns:
   • Start – time and date the update started
   • End – time and date the update completed
   • Result – results of the update. This may be either Succeeded or Failed
   • Details – details of the update in terms of the number of applied and unapplied changes

Selecting an item from the table populates the Properties tab with the information for the update.

Site-defined Catalog

You must be an AppClarity administrator to access the sited-defined catalog.

To access the catalog:

1. Click the Data Capture icon  to the left of the Console.
2. In the Data Capture navigation tree, click Site Defined Catalog. A table containing all site-defined publisher, product, release and edition details is displayed in the opposite panel. Site-defined catalog products can only be deleted from the catalog Website.
   

Adding a new site-defined catalog entry

To create a new the site-defined catalog entry:

1. In the Data Capture navigation tree, select Applications node to expand it.
2. From the Available for linking folder, right-click a product and from the context menu, choose Link to Catalog...
   
3. In the Select or Create Product dialog, follow the Click here link to add a new product.
   
4. In the catalog Website, enter the details for the new application.
   
5. Click Save to save the information as a site-defined catalog item.
6. In the Available for linking folder on AppClarity Console, right-click a product and from the context menu, choose Link to Catalog... 
7. In the Select or Create Product dialog, the newly created site-defined catalog product can be linked.
   
8. Click OK. It is now visible in Site Defined Catalog folder in Data Capture node.

Managing the catalog

The catalog website displays the all your catalog products. 

The columns displayed are:

• Vendor – the vendor for the product
• Title – the name of the application
• Is Bundle – if it is part of a bundle
• UN Standard Product Service Code – an open standard for the classification of products and services
• Common Procurement Vocabulary Code – a single classification system to describe the subject matter of public contracts to facilitate the processing of invitations to tender
• eCl@ss – cross-industry product standard for classifying and providing a clear description of products and services
• Global Product Classification – a universal set of standards grouping products into categories based on their essential properties and their relationship to other products
• Creation Date – the date the record was created
• License Rules – in our example, we are viewing the metrics associated with Microsoft's BackOffice Small Business Server product. You can modify or delete the existing license rule by following the respective links to the right of the rule.
  
  • If you click Modify, the License Rules screen is displayed for you to carry up your updates. Click Save if you have made any changes or Back to List if you don't want to update the current rule.
    
  • If you click Delete, you are prompted to confirm your actions. Click Delete to remove the rule or Back to List if you want to keep the existing rule.
    
• Versions – in our example, we are viewing the version information associated with Microsoft's BackOffice Small Business Server product. You can modify the attributes for the version by following the links to the right of the rule.
  
  • If you click Modify, the Product details screen is displayed for you to make changes.
  • If you click Delete, you are prompted to confirm your actions. Click Delete to remove the version or Back to List if you want to retain it.
  • If you click Editions, editions related to this specific version of the product is displayed.
  • If you click Match Rules, match rules related to this specific version of the product is displayed – match rules can also be associated with specific editions of this product version

You can narrow the list down by clicking Filtering just above the list and entering your criteria 

Adding a new product to the catalog

To add a new product to the catalog:

1. In the AppClarity Catalog, click the Products menu.
2. In the Products screen, click Add a new product.
   
3. In the Product details tab, populate the fields for the product. Fields with an asterisk are mandatory.
   
4. In the Additional details tab, populate the additional details fields for the new product. 
   
5. Click Save.

Adding a new vendor to the catalog

To add a new vendor to the catalog:

1. In the AppClarity catalog, click the Vendors menu.
2. In the Vendors screen, click Add a new vendor.
   
3. Populate the details for the new vendor.
   
4. Click Save.