In the final post of our series on automating Microsoft SPLA reporting, it’s time to show how reports get automated and how you gather in-depth analysis from the usage and inactive user data generated by SPL Tracker in Steps 3 and 4.
Three Different Report Types for Automating Microsoft SPLA Reporting
When you build reports with SPL Tracker, whether they are run manually, or on a scheduled basis, you can create up to three different report types.
Concurrent License Assessment
The Current License Assessment Report is always generated by SPL Tracker. This report details the specific users who had access to particular license types in the preceding reporting period (e.g. prior month), and is suitable for sending to your licensing authority.
License Utilization Report
The License Utilization Report is an optional report for internal use, which contrasts the number of users with access to a certain license type, versus those who actually used a particular class of license in the preceding reporting period.
This report is excellent at displaying waste percentages per license type, and then showing you in detail the particular inactive users who represent the waste.
License Control Adjustment Report
Finally, if you decided back in Step 4 that you wanted to remove some inactive users representing waste for the upcoming reporting period, you can elect to generate a License Access Control Adjustment Report. This report documents the group membership adjustments you made to remove access to one or more license types for a specific set of users.
In addition to selecting the reports you want to build, the SPL Tracker has numerous adjustable preferences so you can tune it for the specific needs of your environment.
For instance, you can have SPL Tracker create and email the reports to you on a scheduled basis, and you can distinguish those emailed reports by the domain they originate from (which is very useful for MSPs with multiple client domains).
And, yes, you can also personalize the logo used in the reports.
A Master Report For Automating Microsoft SPLA Report Needs
Finally, it’s worth noting that the Current License Assessment Report is always generated in CSV format (as well as the other formats like PDF, Microsoft Word, or Excel). The CSV format allows you to combine all of your different domains’ license assessments into one master report you can submit to your licensing authority.
We’ll take a look at how to set this up in our upcoming “SPLA Reporting Tips and Tricks” blog posts.
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