Adding software to the catalog manually

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Use the Software Catalog application to manually add catalog records to the Maximo® database for software data that did not originate from Asset Discovery for z/OS®.

About this task

Most records are added to the software catalog as a result of importing software data into the Maximo database from the knowledge base, Asset Discovery for z/OS, or other discovery tool databases. However, you must manually add a software catalog record whenever you want to assign a preferred (or target) name to already discovered, non-knowledge base, non-Asset Discovery for z/OS software. Then you can make each instance of the discovered software a conversion variant to the software named in the newly added software catalog record by defining conversion variants.

If you are working with software whose catalog record originated with externally discovered data (with a discovery tool database or with the knowledge base), you cannot rename the record in the Software Catalog application, even though the software might be misnamed. All of these records are read-only, and if they could be renamed, the names would be overwritten the next time the data was refreshed by another import.

But, in the case of discovered software, you can create a new record, giving it the preferred name (called the target name), and then make the original (misnamed) record a variant of the new one. This ability to create catalog records manually lets you define naming conventions for most discovered software. Renaming of software that originates from the knowledge base must be done from Asset Discovery for z/OS, not from the Software Catalog application.

Software that was named by manually creating a software record is not by definition discovered. The value of such a software record is that it associates all like software with a single, consistent software name that can be used in Maximo IT applications. For example, in the Licenses application, when associating software with a license, the license must be associated with the software record named with the preferred, or target, name - even if the record was a manually created (not discovered) one. The conversion variants (which were discovered) are in turn associated with that manually created software record.

The steps for adding software to the catalog follow.

Procedure

  1. On the navigation bar, click Open Menu > Administration > Deployed Assets > Software Catalog.
  2. On the toolbar, click New.
  3. On the Software tab, type the preferred, or target, name in the Software Name field.
    The name can be any unique alphanumeric text string, including spaces. Optionally, a version number, release number, or both can be included in the name.
  4. Complete additional fields in the record heading section as needed.
    An asterisk (*) indicates a required field.
  5. Optional: To link the new software catalog record to one or more software items in the Item Master application, follow the instructions in the referenced task for linking an item to a software product.
  6. Optional: To make one or more existing catalog records a conversion variant of the new one, follow the instructions in the referenced task for defining conversion variants.
  7. Click Save.